**- 


LAWRENCE  J.  GUTTER 

Collection  of  Chicogoana 

THE   UNIVERSITY   OF   ILLINOIS 
AT  CHICAGO 

The  University  Library 


ROBERT  CAVELIER,  SIEUR  DE  LA  SALLE. 
Bronze  Monument  erected  in  Lincoln  Park  by  the  Hon.  Lambert  Tree. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO 


BY 


JOSEPH  KlRKLAND 


CHICAGO 

DIBBLE   PUBLISHING   COMPAiNY 
1892 


COPYRIGHTED  BY 
DIBBLE   PUBLISHING  CO. 

1892. 

ALL   RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


CHICAGO: 
DONOHUE  &  HENNEBSRRY, 

PRINTERS  AND  BINDERS, 


PREFACE. 

The  best  a  historian  can  do  is  to  approach  accuracy  before 
venturing  upon  publication;  and,  after  publication, — to  approach  it  more 
and  more  nearly;  for  to  reach  it  is  beyond  his  utmost  scope. 

The  degree  in  which  he  can  do  this  latter  is  dependent  on  the 
trouble  his  readers  may  take  in  pointing  out  to  him  his  errors  of 
omission  and  commission.  "A  word  to  the  wise  is  sufficient;"  and 
these  words  are  addressed  to  all  who  are  interested  enough  to  read, 
wise  enough  to  criticise  and  friendly  enough  to  correct,  for  the  benefit 

of  posterity,  this  "  Story  of  Chicago." 

THK    AUTHOR, 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I. 

A  THOUSAND  CENTURIES: 

Lake  Michigan  flowed  toward  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  i — How  the 
waters  came  to  change  direction;  2 — Threatened  destruction  of  Lake 
Erie;  3 — When  Chicago  was  submerged;  4 — Aspect  of  the  ancient 
shore  line;  5  —  The  divide  emerges  from  the  waves;  6 — Vanished 
races;  7. 

CHAPTER  II. 
THE  ABORIGINES;     GOD'S  IMAGE  DONE  IN  COPPER: 

Meaning  of  the  name  Chicago;  8 — The  Portage;  8 — Indian  Traits; 
10 — John  Dean  Caton;  n — Scalp  Hunting;  12 — Massacre  at  Starved 
Rock;  13 — Lost  Records;  14. 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  RECORDED  STORY  BEGINS: 

Coming  of   the    French;    15  —  Race  of  the  Races;    17  —  Joliet 
discovers  the  Portage;   18 — Marquette's  winter  at  Hardscrabble;   18 — 
La  Salle  arrives;   19 — Travelers'  tales;  20 — Knightly  honor  assailed;  21 
—First  lake  vessel;  21 — La  Salle's  ceaseless  struggles;  22 — Final  catas- 
trophe; 23. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  SINGLE  CENTURY: 

Last  days  of  first  explorers;  26 — Kaskaskia  in  the  North;  27 — 
Kaskaskia  in  the  South;  28 — John  Law's  Mississippi  scheme;  29 — New 
road  to  the  sea;  30 — Indian  atrocities;  32 — Chicagua  for  a  Rendezvous; 
32 — English  succeed  French;  33. 

CHAPTER  V. 
ILLINOIS  AND  CHICAGO  DURING  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR: 

Red  Coat  1812;  34 — England's  savage  allies;  34 — Kinzie  and  Cly- 
bourne  ancestors;  35 — Kentuckians  in  Illinois;  36 — Clark  takes  Kas- 
kaskia; 37 — Chicago  from  1778  to  1794;  39— Hamilton  takes  Vin- 
cennes;  40 — Clark's  Winter  march;  41 — Clark  defeats  and  takes  Ham- 
ilton; 42 — Anecdote  about  Clark;  43 — Todd  our  first  Governor;  44. 


viii  THE  STORY  OF   CHICAGO. 

CHAPTER   VI. 
THE  DAWN    OK    THE  DAY  WE  LIVE  IN: 

The  Washingtons  buy  land;  46 — William  Murray  tries  to  buy  Chi- 
cago; 47 — Chicago's  first  squatter;  47 — Pointe  de  Saible  and  Guarie; 
48 — Antoine  Ouillemette  (Wilmette);  48 — Ordinance  of  1787;  49— 
Captain  John  Whistler;  50 — Major  Whistler;  50 — Julia  Person  Whistler; 
51 — Old  Rush  Street  Rope  Ferry;  52 — Quiet  years  from  1804  to  1812; 
53 — Double  murder  at  Hardscrabble;  54. 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  CLOUD,  CONE-SHAPED  AND  COPPER-COLORED: 

Trouble  far  away;   56 — Trouble  close  at  hand;    56 — Capt.  Heald's 
dilemma;  57 — Bad  blood  in  the  Garrison;    58 — Indian    Council;    59— 
Heald's  decision  and  action;    60 — Brave  William   Wells  arrives;    61— 
View  from  the  roof  of  the  Block-House;    62 — The  same  spot  80  years 
later;  63. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
BATTLE  AND  MURDER  AND  SUDDEN  DEATH: 

Flag  of  distress;  64 — John  Kinzie's  course;  64 — Line  of  March;  65 
— Chart  of  Chicago  in  1812;  65 — The  Boat  Party;  65 — Indians  attack 
the  train;  66 — How  all  might  have  been  saved;  66 — Mrs.  Helm's  story 
and  its  difficulties;  67 — Private  Jordan's  story;  67 — Capt.  Heald's  letter, 
68— Killing  of  Wm.  Wells;  68— What  Nile's  Weekly  Register  reported; 
69 — Tortures  of  dying  prisoners;  69 — -Fate  of  survivors;  70 — The  Mas- 
sacre Tree;  71 — Last  leaves  on  the  old  tree;  71. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
THEY  MADE  A  SOLITUDE  AND  CALLED  IT  PEACE: 

John  Wentworth's  discoveries;  72 — Capt.  Heald's  Son;  73 — The 
Heald  side  of  the  story;  73 — Hon.  Darius  Heald  in  1881;  74 — Fables 
attributed  to  Mrs.  Helm;  74 — Tradition  handed  down  by  A.  H.  Edwards; 
76 — Sauganash  to  the  rescue;  76 — The  Kinzies  after  the  battle;  77 — 
From  1812  to  1816.  Desolation;  78. 

CHAPTER  X. 

AFTER  DARKNESS,  LIGHT: 

Years  following  the  Massacre;  79 — Early  suggestion  of  Ship  Canal; 
80 — Rum  and  the  Fur  Trade;  81 — Slow  growth  for  many  years;  83— 
Gurdon  Hubbard's  early  experiences;  84 — General  Cass'  Treaty  for 


ix  CONTENTS. 

Michigan  lands;  86 — Aspect  of  North  Side  from  1816  to  1830;  87 — 
Kinzies  arid  their  home;  88 — Winnebago  Scare  and  Danville  Volun- 
teers; 89 — The  last  of  John  Kinzie  and  the  Old  Homestead;  90. 

CHAPTER  XI. 
1820-30,  AN  OBSCURE  DECADE: 

The  unpromising  state  of  things  sixty  years  ago;  92 — Wild  game 
within  city  limits;  94 — The   Kinzie  race;  95— Less  known  early  names; 
95 — Descendantsof  the  captive  girls;  97 — TheClarksandClybourns;  98— 
The  Beaubiens;  99 — Original  capitalists;  100. 

CHAPTER    XII. 
THE  VANISHING  RACE: 

Treaties  with  the  Sauks  and  Foxes;  102 — The  Black  Hawk  War; 
104 — The  last  Chicago  Indian  Treaty;  105 — How  Chicago  looked  to 
a  stranger;  106 — White  men's  interest  in  the  Treaty;  107 — The  last  of 
old  Shaubena ;  108— The  Farewell  War  dance  in  1835;  no — Present 
state  of  the  same  tribes  ;  1 1 1. 

CHAPTER    XIII. 
VERY   HARD  WORK: 

Beginning  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  ;  i  i  2 — Persistence 
under  difficulties;  113 — Original  Town  surveyed;  114 — Sale  of  the 
School  Section;  1 1 6-— Ferriage  ;  118 — Clark  Street  Bridge  built;  120. 

CHAPTER   XIV. 
THE  KEEL  LAID: 

Schools  and  Teachers;  122 — Protestant  Churches;  124 — Volun- 
teer Fire  Company;  125 — Catholic  Worship  ;  127 — St.  James  Church; 
128 — Postal  Service;  129 — The  first  Newspaper;  130 — Medical  Prac- 
titioners; 131 — Cholera  of  1832;  131 — Refugees  from  the  Fort  ;  132 — 
The  first  lawyer  ;  133. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

NOT  AT  ALL  HARD  WORK: 

Pianos     arrive;    135 — Music;     136— Social    Gaiety,     137 — Kinzie- 
Whistler  wedding;   137 — Scanty  of  food   in    1834;    138 — Dances  and 
prayer  meetings;   139 — Unfathomable  mud;   140 — Experiments  in  street 
pavement;   140 — Changes    in  established  grade;    141 — Earliest    Public 
Exhibition;    141 — Field  -sports;    142 — Primitive    Postal  service;   143— 
William  B.  Ogden;   144 — Personal  memories  of  the  Ogden  home;   145— 
Arnold's  ride  to  Danville;    146. 


x  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

FAIRLY     LAUNCHED  : 

Estray  Pen  and  Jail  on  Public  Square;  149 — John  Dean  Caton's 
admission  to  the  Bar;  150 — The  first  Town  Census  of  Chicago;  152— 
Launch  of  the  Clarissa;  153 — Garrison  finally  withdrawn;  154 — Bogus 
Towns  and  Cities;  156 — Traditional  city  lot  sales;  157 — Progress  of  the 
excitement;  158 — Balestier's  lecture  on  these  times;  160 — Foolish  State 
legislation;  161. 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
THE  HARD  TIMES  Or  1837-40: 

Legislative  scheme  of  Public  Improvements;  163 — Wisdom  of  Gov. 
Duncan;  165 — Specie  payments  suspended;  165 — Public  works  stopped; 
165 — Banks  fail;  166 — State  Treasurer  too  poor  to  pay  postage;  166 — 
State  debt  and  assets;  166 — Canal  cholera;  167 — Personal  reminiscences; 
167 — "  Red  dog,"  Wild-cat"  and  "Shin-plasters";  168 — Scrip  of  various 
kinds;  168 — Struggling  to  keep  faith;  170 — Utter  failure  of  Internal 
Improvement  scheme;  171 — Ogden's  firmness;  172 — Position  of  Chicago 
Branch  State  Bank;  172 — Stubborn  business  courage;  173 — Where 
men  used  to  congregate,  173 — Real  Estate  values;  174 — Cost  of  living; 
1 74 — Collection  of  small  debts;  1 75 — Not  all  bankrupt,  1 76 — "  Wigwam 
lost,  Mokopo  here!";  176. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
NEVER  SAY  DIE: 

Delegation  to  Whig  convention  at  Springfield;  178 — Reviving  con- 
fidence; 179 — Alleged  row  between  Long  John  and  Captain  Hunter; 
180 — Stage-coach  days;  181 — First  regular  Theatre;  181 — Cemetery  at 
Clark  Street  and  North  Avenue;  182 — States  emerging  from  their 
troubles;  182 — Boston  Capital;  183 — Canal  commissioners  appointed; 
184 — Shallow  cut  adopted;  184 — Wisconsin  tries  to  gain  Chicago;  184— 
The  Canal's  many  benefactions;  185 — The  story  of  a  typical  family 
migration,  187 — Achievements  of  "the  forties";  189 — The  Lake 
Street  hydraulic  works;  189 — Primitive  water-piping;  190. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
RIVER  AND  HARBOR  CONVENTION: 

The  Mexican  War;  191 — Previous  River  and  Harbor  bills;  192 — 
Polk's  veto;  192 — Chicago  furious;  193 — Calling  of  the  Convention 
194 — Strangers  in  attendance;  195 — Lincoln  a  Delegate;  196 — Horace 


CONTENTS.  xi 

Greeley;   196 — Thurlow  Weed's  account;   197 — The  Resolutions;   198 — 
Weed's  mistake;   199 — General  Webster;   199. 

CHAPTER   XX. 

LAND-TRAVEL  AND  WATER-TRAVEL: 

Opening  business  on  the  Canal;  201 — The  first  engine  that  ever 
turned  a  wheel  in  Chicago;  202 — The  "Pioneer;"  203 — Running  a  rail- 
road line  through  the  water;  203 — Galena  railroad  begins  to  run;  204 — 
$20,000  from  George  Smith;  205 — High  water  all  over  the  West;  205 
— The  old  Portage  overflowed;  206 — The  great  flood  of  1849  >n  Chi- 
cago; 206 — Accidents  and  incidents  of  the  flood;  207 — Losses;  207 — 
A  costly  bridge;  209 — Rush  Street  Ferry;  209 — The  great  drawbridge 
question  re-opened;  210 — First  City  Hall  built  in  State  Street;  211  — 
First  Regular  Theatre;  212 — Mr.  McVicker  in  song  and  dance  act;  213 
—Beginning  of  the  City's  Musical  Life;  214 — Ogden's  lesson  to  Prin- 
diville;  214 — Gov.  Bross'  description  of  those  days;  215. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  COMING  POWER: 

Chicago's  struggles  in  starting  the  first  railroad;  216 — Bad  faith  in 
dealing  with  Galena;  21  7— Michigan  Southern  and  Central  come  in;  217 
-Terrible  accident  at  Grand  Crossing;  218 — The  Illinois  Central;  218 
—State  percentage  of  Illinois  Central  earnings;  219— Mr.  Lincoln's  little 
story;  219 — Threatened  destruction  of  Michigan  Avenue;  220— The 
line  of  Crib  protection;  221— Foreign  capital  to  the  rescue;  221— The 
makers  of  the  Illinois  Central;  222— Streets  generally  begin  to  be  num- 
bered and  paved;  222 — Burning  of  Rice's  Theatre;  223 — First  General 
Charity  Hospital;  223— Douglas  silenced  by  Anti-Fugitive  Slave-Law 
mob;  224— Sale  of  a  black  man  at  auction;  225 — Rescue  of  fugitive 
slaves;  225— Distinguished  Abolitionists;  226. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
THE  CITY  COMES  TO  HERSELF: 

Nature's  bounty  to  Chicago;  227— Her  commercial  position;  227 — 
Built  of  material  taken  from  her  own  sub-soil;  228— Lake  breezes  temper 
both  cold  and  heat;  228— Drawbacks  of  a  level  site;  229— Drainage, 
water,  river,  fire  and  streets;  229— Chowder  in  the  bath-tub;  230 — Line 
of  drainage  established;  230— First  effects  of  Drainage;  231— The  city 
lifted  above  the  sewers;  231 — Law  of  street  grades  fixed;  232 — Raising 
of  old  brick  buildings;  232 — First  work  of  George  Pullman;  233— Begin- 
ning of  Palace  Cars;  233— The  Sleeping  Car  System;  234— The  Cholera; 


xii  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

1852  to  1855;  234 — Incidents  of  the  epidemic;  235 — Dr.  Dyer's  good 
story;  235 — The  Lake  Street  Fire  of  1857;  236 — The  first  Steam  Fire 
Engine;  236 — Riotous  Firemen;  237 — Fate  of  the  river  banks;  237 — 
River  and  Harbor  History;  238. 

CHAPTER  XXIII 
THE  STUMP-TAIL  CHIMERA. 

Banking  and  Currency  system  a  failure;  242 — Chaos  of  Bank  notes; 
243 — One  day's  collections  on  the  C.,  B.  &  Q;  243 — The  hard-money 
"Democrat;"  244 — Periodical  Convulsions;  244 — Ohio  Life  &  Trust 
fails  for  $7,000,000;  245 — Tribulation  of  the  Illinois  Central;  245 — 
Hard  times  come  again;  246 — Gresham's  Law;  246 — Illinois  Banking 
and  Currency  act;  247 — Geo.  Smith  and  the  Georgia  Banks;  247 — Chi- 
cago on  the  Slavery  Question;  248 — Free  Kansas  meeting  in  1856;  249 

—Injustice  to  Justice  Taney;  249 — Lincoln-Douglas  Debates;  249 — 
Douglas'  strong  Unionism;  250 — Chicago  under  cloud  and  storm;  250 

—Beginning  of  Street  Railroads;  251 — Disappearance  of  Fort  Dear- 
born; 251 — First  iron  drawbridge;  252 — Railroad  miles  and  earnings  in 
1857;  253 — Union  Stock  Yards  started;  254 — Progress  in  the  fifties; 
255 — Birth  of  the  Republican  party;  255 — Wreck  of  the  "Charles 
Howard;"  256. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
To  ARMS,  YE  BRAVE  ! 

Republican  Convention  of  1861;  257 — Sewardandthe  New  Yorkers; 
257 — Lincoln  on  his  own  candidacy;  258 — Seward's  chances  and  mis- 
chances; 258 — Scenes  in  the  Wigwam;  259 — The  balloting;  260 — Union 
mass-meeting  at  Bryan  Hall;  260 — Only  150  militia  men  in  1860;  261  — 
First  call  for  volunteers;  261 — i2th  and  igth  Regiments;  262 — 23d,  Irish- 
American;  262 — Hecker-Jaeger  Regiment;  262 — 24th,  German-American; 
264 — 37th,  Fremont  Rifles;  264 — 39th,Yates  Phalanx;  264 — 42d,  Infantry; 
264 — 5ist,   Chicago  Legion;  264 — 57th,   National    Guards;   264 — 58th 
McClellan   Brigade;  265 — 65th,  Scotch  Regiment;  265 — 72d,  Board  of 
Trade;  265 — 82d,  German-American;  265 — 88th,  Second  Board  of  Trade; 
266 — Sgth,   Railroad  Regiment;   266; — goth,  Irish  Legion;  266 — ii3th, 
Third  Board  of  Trade;  266 — I27th,  3,000  miles,  100  engagements;  266— 
Cavalry;    266 — i6th    and    i7th    Cavalry;    267 — Artillery;  267 — Stokes 
Board    of  Trade    Battery;    267 — Death-Roll    of    Honor;  268 — Typical 
Memoir  of  one  Chicago  officer:  268 — Camp  Douglas;  269 — Prisoners' 
Aid  and  Relief;  270 — Camp  Douglas  Conspiracy;  270 — Sanitary  Com- 
mission; 271 — Love  and  Gratitude  of  those  old  days;  271. 


CONTENTS.  xiii 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  SIXTIES  AT   HOME: 

Loss  of  the  Lady  Elgin  ;  272 — The  bones  of  the  ship  now  visible 
273 — Other  wrecks ;  273 — Population  not  checked  by  war  ;  274 — Lake 
Tunnel    crib;     274 — Lake   difficulties    overcome,     275 — Beginning   of 
Lincoln    Park;  276 — Sectional  jealousies;  276 — Removal  of  the  cem- 
etery; 277 — Enlargement  of  the  River  Forks;  277 — Inception  of  the 
Union  Stockyards;  279 — Of  the  Clearing  House,  279 — The  river  again 
foul;  280 — The  remedy;  280 — The  two  tunnels;  281 — Federal  affairs  ; 
281 — Greenbacks;  281 — Money  that  rustled  but  did  not  rattle;  283— 
The  old  banks  died  hard;  283 — Unfailing  value  of  city  securities;  284— 
Farewell  to  George  Smith ,  284 — Where  did  the  old  rags  go  ?  285— 
Greenback  inflation;  285 — Laborers  on  top  ;  285 — End  of  the  stormy 
sixties;  287 — Delusive  confidence;  287. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
THE  GREAT  FIRE  : 

The  great  drought  before  the  great  fire ;  288 — Condition  of  the 
city  in  1871;  288 — The  feast  spread;  289 — Condition  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment; 289 — The  O'Leary  house  and  stable  ;  290 — Testimony  of  the 
O'Learys;  291 — Delay  in  giving  the  alarm;  291 — The  attack  outflanks 
the  defence;  291 — First  loss  of  a  steam  fire  engine;  292 — Flames  jump 
over  the  south  branch  ;  292 — Battle  on  the  court-house  roof;  293 — Use 
of  gunpowder;  293 — Cook  county  record  office;  293 — Fierce  speed  of 
the  flames;  293 — Fire  crosses  the  main  river;  294 — Failure  to  defend  the 
waterworks;  294 — Whose  fault?  295 — One  woman's  story;  296 — Men- 
tal phenomena;  297 — Pitiful  struggles;  298 — Outpouring  of  the  world's 
pity;  298 — First  relief  committees;  299— The  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid 
Society;  299 — -Special  police  sworn  in;  300 — Militia  and  regular  troops 
come;  301 — Sensitiveness  regarding  U.  Ss  soldiers;  301 — First  new 
supply  of  water;  301 — Summary  of  losses  and  compensations;  302— 
Rebound  of  hope;  302 — Even  Gov.  Bross  underestimates  the  recov- 
ery; 302 — One  man's  recollections;  303 — How  the  streets  looked  to  a 
newly  arrived  Chicagoan;  304 — Particular  ruins;  304 — North  Side  des- 
olation; 305. 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
A  NEW  STORY  OF  THE  FIRE: 

Books   about    the    fire;    306 — Fate    of   the  county  records;  307 — 
American  Record   System;  307 — Maps  and  plats  of  city  property;  308 


xiv  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

-The  abstract  makers  and  their  work;  308 — The  real  estate  dilemma; 
309 — A  clue  to  the  labyrinth;  310 — John  G.  Shortall's  story  of  a 
night;  310 — Fate  of  an  old  landmark;  311 — First  apprehension  of 
the  coming  catastrophe;  311 — The  fugitive  crowd;  312 — Lucky  failure 
of  a  well-meant  effort;  312 — Stocktons  to  the  rescue;  313 — Books  on 
the  truck  and  rain  of  fire  on  the  books;  3 1 3 — The  great  bell  falls  unheard; 
314 — Help  of  the  jail-birds;  314 — Back  again  to  the  fire;  314 — Exas- 
perating fatality;  315 — Exhausted  nature  breaks  down;  315 — The  loss 
averted;  316 — The  combined  savings;  316 — Chance  for  extortion;  316 — 
Honorable  conduct;  317 — Chicago  worthies;  318 — Accumulations  since 
the  fire;  320 — Government  weather-signal  officers;  320 — Interview  with 
ex-Mayor  Cregier;  321 — Interview  with  Chief  Fire  Marshall  Williams; 
321. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

DERRICK  TIME  : 

Splendid  conduct  of  Insurance  Companies;  322 — Trepidation  of 
the  timid;  322 — The  Burnt  Record  Act;  323 — Words  hearty  and  timely; 
323 — Buildings  put  up  by  the  R.  &  A;  323 — Doubts  all  proved  to  be 
vain;  324 — Mayor  Medill  and  the  city  problem;  324 — Fire  limits 
extended;  325 — How  serious  is  the  loss  of  old  buildings?  326 — Early 
reconstruction;  326 — Civic  finances  and  their  prospects;  327-  -Schneider's 
saying  about  metropolitan  securities;  327 — Timely  liberality  of  the 
State  Government;  328 — The  Rookeries,  old  and  new;  328 — Unparal- 
leled achievement  of  the  city;  329 — Kerfoot's  Block;  329; — Gradual 
clearance  of  the  obstructed  streets;  330 — Rehabilitation  of  the  news- 
papers; 330 — Failure  of  Congressional  efforts  at  relief;  331 — All  poor, 
busy,  hopeful  and  economical;  331 — Relics  of  the  Court  House  fire; 
332 — East-bound  trains;  332 — The  blessed  mother-in-law;  333. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
SOCIAL  RE-ORGANIZATION  : 

Thirty-nine  churches  burned;  335 — Scattering  of  Congregations 
by  the  Fire;  335 — North,  South  and  West  Side  circles;  335 — Hospital- 
ity and  Benovolence;  336 — None  rich  by  inheritance;  336 — Absenteeism 
not  favored;  337 — One  circle  in  the  far  future;  337 — No  true  Aristoc- 
racy in  Chicago  as  yet;  338 — Development  of  Clubs;  338— The 
Chicago,  the  Standard  and  the  Fortnightly;  339 — The  Literary;  340 — 
The  Union;  340 — The  Illinois;  340 — The  Union  League;  340 — The 
Iroquois;  341 — Relief  and  Aid  Society;  341 — Its  most  devoted  servants; 
342 — Home  for  the  Friendless;  342 — Nursery  and  Half-Orphan  Asy- 
lum; 342 — Old  Ladies'  Home;  343 — Historical  Society;  343 — The 


CONTEXTS.  xv 

Athenaeum;  344 — Young  Men's  Christian  Association;  345 — Humane 
Society;  345 — Secret  Societies;  346 — Union  war  Veterans;  346 — The 
Art  Institute;  346 — Chicago  as  an  art  centre  and  art  market;  347 — A 
glance  back  at  a  primitive  time  and  place;  348 — The  Declaration  of 
Independence  read  from  a  pocket-handkerchief;  349. 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
PANIC  OF  1873.     FIRE  OF  1874.     WHISKY  RING: 

One  bank  safe  failed  in  its  duty;  350 — Consternation  first  and  delib- 
eration next;  350 — Banks  begin  again  to  pay  out  money;  351 — Strin- 
gency two  years  later;  351 — Clearing-house  certificates  not  used;  352  — 
Collapse  averted;  352 — Failures;  352 — Food  products  a  better  financial 
basis  than  stocks  and  bonds;  353 — The  great  savings-bank  disaster;  353 
— State,  Bee-hive,  Fidelity  and  German  Savings- Banks;  354 — Building 
Societies  and  their  mission;  354 — Relics  of  the  past  made  foundations  of 
the  future;  355 — A  new  blow  on  the  old  sore  spot;  355 — Last  straw  on 
the  backs  of  the  Insurance  Companies;  356 — Citizens'  Association  to 
the  rescue;  356— The  companies  forgive  but  do  not  forget;  356 — The 
new  army  of  fire-fighters;  357 — Bursting  of  the  Whisky  Ring;  357— 
Let  no  guilty  man  escape;  357 — Enormous  seizures  of  property;  358  — 
Sensational  trial,  verdict  and  sentences;  358 — Strongmen  broken  down; 
359 — Indemnity  to  "Squealers";  359 — -Seeming  financial  disaster,  but 
real  return  of  health;  359 — Uniform  integrity  of  the  Mayors  of  Chicago; 
361. 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
THE  BEAUTY  SPOTS: 

The  luxury  of  the  poor  and  the  rich;  362 — South  Park  Commission; 
363 — Its  Fire  losses;  363 — Early  purchases  and  improvements;  Drexel 
Statue;  364 — Hardship  of  boulevarding  some  streets  at  the  cost  of 
others;  366 — Pay-as-you-go  policy;  366 — Equipment  needed  by  a  park; 
367 — Table  of  areas  and  distances;  367 — Beginning  of  West  Side  Park 
System;  367 — Douglas,  Garfield  and  Humboldt;  368 — Great  boulevards 
on  the  West  Side;  368— Future  beauties;  369 — Acres  and  miles  of  West 
Side  system;  369— Lake  Shore  Drive,  the  glory  of  the  North  Side;  370 
—Primeval  sand-hills;  371— Exclusion  of  shore  railways;  371 — Blossom- 
ing as  the  rose;  372 — Miles  and  acres  of  the  Lincoln  Park  Syetem;  373— 
Original  cost  and  present  debt;  373 — Successive  Commissioners;  374 
Park  system  still  beyond  present  needs;  374— Increasing  means  and 
decreasing  demands;  375 — Bought  and  paid  for;  a  free  gift  to  the 
future;  375. 


xv  i  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

CHAPTER    XXXII. 

RlOTS  AND  THEIR  SUPPRESSION  : 

A  city  of  homes  safe  from  certain  dangers  ;  376 — Trade  Unions 
necessary  and  proper;  376 — The  Pittsburgh  Riots  ;  376 — First  troubles 
in  Chicago  ;  377 — Assembling  of  forces  for  defence;  377 — Outbreak  and 
bloodshed  ;  378 — Points  to  be  defended  ;  378 — Gen.  Torrence's  disposi- 
tion of  forces  ;  379 — Military  supports  police  ;  379 — United  States  Reg- 
ulars ;  380 — Unanimity  in  the  defenders  ,  380 — The  threatened  avalanche 
scattered  at  the  start  •,  381 — Fear  of  the  mob  succeeded  by  jibes  at  the 
military;  381 — Thankless  task  of  the  militia;  382 — The  Anarchists' 
movement ;  382 — The  prime  movers  ;  383 — Their  folly  ;  383 — Differ- 
ence between  labor-unionists  and  anarchists  ;  384 — Trouble  at  McCor- 
mick's  Reaper  works  ;  384 — The  "Revenge"  circular;  385 — Parson's 
speech  at  the  Haymarket  ;  385 — Explosion,  wounds  and  death;  386 — 
Arrests;  386 — Trial,  conviction  and  punishment;  386 — Judge  Gary  and 
Prosecutor  Grinnell  ;  386. 

CHAPTER    XXXIII. 
PULLMAN: 

The  grand  plan  and  its  originator  ;  388 — An  unpromising  spot ; 
389 — Magical  transformation  ;  389 — The  workers  and  the  work  390  ; — 
Corliss  Engine  ;  390 — Architecture  ;  300 — Sewerage  and  disposition  of 
sewage  ;  390 — Water  supply  ;  391 — Pullman  sewage  farm  ;  391 — Lesson 
regarding  Chicago  sewage  ;  393 — Growth  of  a  car ;  392 — A  train  a  day 
produced;  392 — Health  of  the  town  1393 — Temperance  ;  393 — Personal 
liberty;  393— Free  public  opinion  ;  394 — Religion;  394 — Aspect  of  the 
town  ;  394 — Flats  and  other  homes  ;  395 — Statistics  of  population  ;  395— 
Savings  in  bank  ;  396 — Spontaneous  good  order ;  396 — The  labor 
troubles  of  1886 — Arrival  of  the  walking  delegate  ;  397 — Mr.  Pullman's 
reception  of  the  committee  ;  397 — His  answer;  397 — Finality  of  the  inter- 
view ;  398 — The  strike  is  on  ;  398— Attempted  socialist  intervention ; 
399 — Foundrymen  come  forward  ;  399 — End  of  strike  ;  399 — Piece-work 
at  Pullman;  400 — Perhaps  a  key-bearer;  400— The  cap-stone  is  peace ;  400. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
THE  THRIFTY  EIGHTIES: 

Vastness  of  the  million;  401 — Then  and  now;  401 — Chicago  in 
1891;  401 — Her  relative  position;  402 — Other  World's  Fairs;  403 — 
Growth  of  Chicago  since  the  fire;  403 — Present  growth  and  what  it 
means;  404 — Demand  again  overtakes  supply;  404 — Good-bye  to  Gur- 
don  Hubbard;  404 — The  Newberry  fortune;  405 — Walter  L.  New- 


CONTENTS.  xvii 

berry's  Chicago  history;  405 — His  public  acts;  406 — Personal  character- 
istics; 407 — Mr.  Newberry's  will;  408 — Judge  Skinner;  408 — Litigation; 
409 — Location  of  permanent  library;  410 — Dr.  Poole's  remarks;  411— 
The  building  itself;  411 — John  Crerar;  412 — A  few  of  his  business 
connections;  412 — Mr.  Crerar's  will;  413 — The  Crerar  Library;  413 — 
A  message  from  beyond  the  grave;  414 — The  Armour  Mission  and  its 
founders;  414 — Its  ways  and  means;  415 — Manual  Training  School; 
415 — William  B.  Ogden's  will;  416 — Fate  of  his  well-meant  charitable 
effort;  416 — Difference  between  New  York  and  Chicago  charitable 
bequests;  417. 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION: 

Undertaking  of  the  World's  Columbian;  418 — Act  of  Congress; 
418 — Conditional  on  certain  funds;  419 — Funds  provided;  419 — Inn. 
keepers,  etc.,  pledged  against  extortion;  420 — Naval  reviews;  420 — The 
true  anniversary;  420 — President's  proclamation;  421 — Four  organiza- 
tions; 421 — Fifteen  great  departments;  421 — General  officers;  422— 
Board  members;  422 — Statistics  of  previous  fairs;  423 — How  Chicago 
compares;  423 — Action  of  States  and  Territories;  423 — Action  of  the 
general  government;  424 — Government  exhibits;  424 — Outlays  hitherto 
and  in  the  future;  425  —  Action  of  foreign  nations;  425 — A  mile 
square  of  land  and  more  if  needed;  425 — The  lake  and  the  water 
courses;  425— Statue  of  Liberty;  426 — General  architectural  scheme; 
426 — Machinery  Hall;  426 — Fisheries  island;  427— General  Miles  in 
charge  of  military  features;  427 — Troops  and  Indians;  427 — Possi- 
ble sham  battle;  427 — Pride  in  showing  how  few  soldiers  we  need; 
428 — Lady  managers;  428 — Lady  delegates;  428 — Their  powers  and 
duties;  429 — First  meeting;  429 — Speeches  by  Mrs.  Felton  and  Mrs. 
Palmer;  429 — Mrs.  Palmer's  report  of  her  foreign  trip;  430 — How  roy- 
alty and  aristocracy  look  at  the  movement;  430 — Princess  Christian; 
431 — Mrs.  Palmer's  address  to  the  Commissioners;  431 — The  Auxiliary; 
432 — A  Congress  of  Congresses;  433 — Building  plans  and  costs;  434— 
Other  necessary  outlays;  434 — $17,000,000  to  be  laid  out;  434 — Fire 
department;  434 — Building  materials;  435 — Sewerage;  435 — Aspect  of 
the  ground  in  December  189-1;  435. 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

ON  NEW  YEAR'S  DAY,  1892: 

Chicago  bent  on  business;  437— The  idle  man  a  lonely  man;  438 
— Doing  only  one's  duty  is  not  enough;  438 — The  beauty  of  it;  439— 
Debt-paying,  peace  and  plenty;  439 — Suppose  labor  were  exceptional;  440 
— Effect  of  success  not  all  good;  440 — Woman  in  her  new  place;  441  — 


xviii  THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

Men  judged  by  acts,  not  by  thoughts;  441 — Ecclesiastical  trials;  441 — 
Two  creedless  churches;  442 — Central  church;  443 — People's  church; 
443— Non-partisan  movement  whereby  ballot-box  frauds  were  stopped; 
443 — No  Chicago  fortunes  based  on  public  plunder;  445 — New  York 
Chicago's  elder  sister  and  senior  business  partner;  445 — Chicago  not 
yet  the  ideal  city;  445 — Smoke,  dust  and  mud;  445 — Remedies  possi- 
ble; 446 — Money  growing  plenty;  446 — Village-like  characteristics;  446 
Patience  under  wrong;  447 — Seats  in  street  cars  given  up  to  women; 
447 — What's  all  this?  448 — Overcrowding  of  streets  arising  from  over- 
building of  houses;  448 — John  W.  Root  and  the  Chicago  construc- 
tion; 450 — Colbert's  record  of  40  years'  growth;  451 — Each  historian 
laughs  at  his  predecessor;  451 — On  the  shining  height;  451. 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS,  XIX. 
INDEX,  453. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


BUILDINGS. 
CHURCHES. 

First  Baptist  Church,  122. 
First  M.  E.  Church,  248. 
First  Universalist  Church,  246. 
St.  James  Church,  First,  136. 
"         New,  and 
Parsonage,  254. 
Second  Presbyt.  Church,  252. 
See  also   Fire  Scenes. 
RESIDENCES. 

Burch,  I.H.,  residence  of,  241. 
Kinzie  House,  old,  75. 

"     mansion  (Wau-Bun),  88. 
Ogden  residence,  304. 
Palmer,  Potter,  residence,  439. 
Pullman's  house  and  massacre 

tree.  70. 
Torrence,    General,  residence 

of,  349. 
See  also  Fire  Scenes  and 

Pullman,  Scenes  in, 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Art  Institute,  338. 
Block  House.     Itslastdays,81. 
Calumet  Club,  341. 
Cook  County    Hospital,  Har- 
rison St.,  450. 
Court  House,  F;rst.  153. 

Second,  245. 
Ft.  Dearborn  1803-4,  53. 

(Wau-Bun),  80. 
(Interior),  162. 
Green  Tree  Hotel,  96. 
Illinois  Central  Passenger  sta- 
tion (1855),  226. 
Lake  House,  162. 
Log  cabin.  17. 
Masonic  Temple,  444. 
Peck's  store,  126. 
Relic  House,  334. 
Rush  Medical  Coll. ,  first,  232. 
"  Saloon  "  building.  143.210. 
Sauganash  Hotel,   109. 
Temple  building,  126. 
Union  Club  house.  340. 
Union  League  Club  house, 339. 
United  States  Hotel  and  South 

Branch  bridge,  118. 
Waterworks,  city  (i  8*4),  229. 
"     (1891),  254. 

Woman's    Christian    Temper- 
ance Union,  442. 
"Wigwam."  The,  258. 
See  also  Fire  Scenes;  Pullman, 
Scenes  in:  and  World's   Co- 
lumbian Exposition. 
FIRE  SCENES. 
Armour's      Block    before  and 

after  the  fire,  313. 
Bookseller's   Row    before  and 

after  the  fire,  317. 
Chamber  of  Commerce  before 
and  after  the  fire,  307. 


FIRE  SCENES.— Continued. 

Court  House  before  and  after 

the  fire,  314. 
Crosby's  Opera  House  before 

and  after  the  fire,  327. 
Clark  and  Lake  Sts..  S.  E.  cor., 
before  and  after  the  fire,  298. 
Dearborn      St.,     North     from 

Adams,  Oct.  17,  '71,  294. 
Field   &    Leiter's  store  before 

and  after  the  fire,  310. 
First  building  erected  after  the 

fire,  329. 
First  M.  E.  Church  after  the 

fire,  297. 

First  Merchants  in  burnt  dis- 
trict, 333. 
First    National     Bank    before 

and  after  the  fire,  319. 
General  Ruin,  Oct.  17,  '71,  300. 
Historical   Society's    Building 

before  and  after  the  fire,  318. 
"Kerfoot's  Block,"  329. 
Lake  and  Clark  Sts.,  S.  E.  cor., 

after  the  fire   298. 
Lake  St.  from  Michigan   Ave., 

before  and  after  the  fire,  311. 
Marine  Bank  after  the  fire,  298. 
Michigan  Ave.,  North  frcm 

Madison  St.  before  and  after 

the  fire,  332. 
Michigan   Southern   Depot  be 

fore  and  after  the  fire,  301. 
Ogden    Residence,    304. 
Portland  Block  before  and  af- 
ter the  fire,  312. 
Postoffice  before  and  after  the 

fire,  328. 

Rumsey,  Geo., residence  of,  be- 
fore and  after  the  fire,  331. 
Rush    Medical   College   befoie 

and  after  the  fire,  308. 
St.  lames'  Church   before  and 

after  the  fire,  316. 
St.  James' Church  from  Huron 

St.  after  the  fire.  305. 
St.  James'  Church   from   Rush 

St.  after  the  fire,  297. 
St.  Paul's  Universalist  Church 

before  and  after  the  fire,  304. 
Second  Presbyterian  Church 

before  and  after  the  fire,  306. 
Shepard's  Building  before  and 

after  the  fire,  302. 
Sherman     House    before    and 

after  the  fire,  303. 
Tribune    building   before    and 

after  the  fire,  299. 
Union  Building  before  and  after 

the  fire.  326. 
Unity  Church  before  and  after 

the  fire,  330. 
Washington  Street  and   Court 

House,  Oct.  17,  1871,  292. 


FIRE  SCENES. — Continued. 

Washington  St., West  from  Wa- 
bash  Ave.,  Oct.  17,  '71,  295. 

Waterworks,  City,  before  and 
after  the  fire,  296. 

Where  the  fire  started,  290. 

Burnt  District,  289. 

PARKS. 

Douglas  Park,  Scenes  in,  371, 

372  and  373. 

Garfield  Park,  Scene  in,  374. 
Lincoln  Park,  Bear-pit  in,  370. 

Floral  Design  in,  366. 

In  the  Palm  House,  365. 

Scene  in,  368. 

Sea  Lion  Pond,  362. 
Washington   Park,    the   Floral 

Globe,  364. 

Fountain,  369. 

Gates  Ajar,  363. 
(See  also  "Statues.") 

PORTRAITS. 

Ackerman,  W.  K.,  221. 
Adams,    C.  W.,   Master  U.  S. 
N.,  286. 

Geo.  W.,  383. 

J.  McGregor,  323. 
Aldrich,  W.,  113. 
Anderson,  G.,  128. 

P.  B.,   128. 
Andrews,  E.,    Surgeon    U.  S. 

V..  282. 
Armour,  Geo..  129. 

Joseph  F.,  415. 

Philip  D.,  415. 
Armstrong,  T.  R.,  112. 
Arnold,  Isaac  N.,  146. 
Atkinson,  S.  F.,   137. 
Baker,  W.  T.,  422. 
Baldwin,  W.  A.,  112. 
Ball,  S.  R.  and  wife,  128. 
Balsby,  J.,  121. 
Bangs,  Mark.  358. 
Barnes,  S    B.  and  wife,  136. 
Barney,  Mrs    N.  A.,   136. 
Barrett,     S.   E.,    Major    U.  S. 

V.,  286. 

Barry,  Wm.,  348. 
Bascom.  Rev.  Flavel,  225. 

S.,  113. 
Bassett.  G.,  120. 

J.,  121. 
Bates,  John  and  wife,   128. 

John,  Jr.,  129. 
Beaiibien,  John  B.,  86,142. 

Mark,   121. 

W.  S.  and  wife,  120. 
Beecher.  J.,   and  wife,   129. 
Beers.   C..  120. 
Beggs,  Rev.  S.  R.,  177. 


XX 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


PORTRAITS. — Continued. 
Bennet,  B.,  105. 
Berg,  A.,  120-136. 

Mrs.  A.,  118. 
Beveredge,  John  L.,  342. 
Bigelow,  Mrs.  J.,  105. 
Bishop,  Mrs.  L.  J.,  129. 
Black,  Gen.  John  Charles,  266. 

William  P.,  382. 
Black   Hawk,  103. 
Blackman,  E.,  105. 
Blatchford,   E    W.,  408. 
Blodgett.  Judge  H.  W.,  167. 

W.  H.  and  wife,  129. 

E.  A.,  Capt.  U.S.  V.,  282. 
Bonfield,  Capt.  John,  379. 
Bonney,  Charles  C.,  435. 
Boone,  Daniel,  36. 

Levi  D.,  112,360. 

Mrs.  T.  L.,  120. 
Botsford,  Jabez  K.,  211. 

J.  J.  and  wife,  129. 
Bowen,    C.,  113. 

Jas.,  263. 

L  ,  113. 

Boyer,  N.  A.  and  wife,  136. 
Bradley,  Cyrus  P.,  198. 

W.  H.,  409. 
Brainard,  Dr.  D.,  132. 
Braith,  A.  F.,  121. 
Brajo,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  128. 
Brayman,  Mrs.  E.  W..  120. 
Brayton,  Jas.  H.,  383. 
Breese,  R.   B.,  105. 

Judge  Sydney,  218. 
Bridges,  Gen.  Lyman,  267 

T.  B.,  129. 

Bross,  Gov.  Wm.,  105. 
Brown,  L.,  128. 

N.  H.,  and  wife,  120. 

S.  D.,  136. 

T  , 128. 

W.  H.,  172. 
Bryan,  A.  B.,  113. 

Thos.  B.,263,  270. 
Burley,  A.  G.,  174.  128. 

Mrs.  A.  G.,128. 

A.  H.,  174,  263. 
Butterfield,  Justin,  175. 
Calhoun,  John,  130. 

Mrs.  John,  113. 

John  B.,  219. 
Campbell,  G.,  112. 
Carbriden,  J.,  137. 
Carrington,  N.  S.,  128. 
Carpenter,  A.   E.,  112. 

Mrs.  A.  E.,137 

Philo,  113,  117. 
Carter,  Thos.  B.,  129,  239. 
Carver,  B.,  112. 
Castle.  E.,  105. 
Caswell.  S.  and  wife.  136. 
Caton.  Judge  John  Dean,  138. 

Mrs.  John  Dean,  139. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  P.,  128. 
Cavelier,  R.  de  La  Salle,  21. 
Chacksfield.C.,  128. 
Chalmers,  T.,  120. 
Chapin,  John  P.,  360. 
Chappell,  Elisa,  123. 
Chesbrough,  E.  S..  275. 
Chetlain.Gen.  A.  L.,265. 
Church. Thos.,  196. 

W.  L..  120 


PORTRAITS. — Continued, 
Churchill,  J.  and  wife,  128. 
Clark.  Geo.  Rogers,  41 . 

G.  R.,  105. 

H.  W.  and  wife,  128. 

John  K.,  97. 

N.,  136. 

W.  H.,  120. 
Clarke,  W.  H.,  275. 
Clancey,  W.  B.  and  wife,  136. 
Cleaver,  Chas.,  128,  137. 
Cleavland,  W.  R.,  112. 
dowry,  R.  W.,  Lt.-Col.  U.  S. 

V.,  282. 
Clybourne,  Archibald,  99. 

Mrs.  Archibald,  99,  137. 
Cobb,  S.  G.  and  wife,  104. 

Silas  B.,  104,  211. 

Mrs.  Silas  B.,  104. 
Coffing,  Mrs.  C.,  129. 
Colbert,  Monsieur,  33. 
Collyer,  Rev  Robert,  259. 
Colvin,  H.  D..  263,  360. 
Conner,  Miss  C.,  128. 
Cook,  Hon.  D.  P.,  113. 

G.  C.  and  wife,  121. 

T.  and  wife,  129. 
Couch,  James,  137,  182. 

Mrs.  James,  137. 
Crary,  C.  A.,  112. 
Cregier,  Hon.  DeWittC.,  361. 
Crerar,  John,  412. 
Crook,    George,  Maj.-Gen.  U. 

S.  A..  282. 
Curtis,  James,  204,  360. 

Mrs.  James,  112. 

Miss  P.,  105. 
Cushing,  N.,  136 
Daggy.  Peter,  224. 
Dauchy,  G.  K.,  Capt.  U.  S.  V., 

282.' 
Davis,  C.W.,  Col. U.S.V.,  286. 

Mrs.  E.,  112. 

Geo.  R.,  357. 

Dr.  N.  S.,  422. 
Dee,  Mrs.  D.,  129. 
Demock,  Mrs.  M.  A.,  112. 
Denker,  Theo.  E.,  383. 
Derrickson,  R.  P.,  137. 
DeWolf.  C.,105. 

Henry,  271. 

William,  264. 

W.   F.,  355. 
Dexter,  A.  and  wife,  129. 

Wirt.  336. 

Dickey,  T.  Lyle.  213. 
Dickman,  A.i  112. 
Dobbins,  T.,113. 
Dodson,  C.  B.  and  wife,  120. 
Dole,  G.  W.,  204. 
Dore.  John  C.,  263. 
Douglas,  Stephen  A.,  165. 
Downs,  A.  G.  and  wife,  121. 

A.  S.  and  wife,  121. 

N.  D.  and  wife,  136. 

W.  R.,  104. 

Mrs.  W.  R.,  136. 
Drake,  G.,  104. 
Drummond,  Judge  Thos.,  209, 

26H. 

Ducat.  Gen.  Arthur  C.    265. 
Dugan,  T.,  137. 
Dyas.  Dr.  G..  137. 
Dyer,  Chas.  V.,  235. 


PORTRAITS. — Continued. 
Dyer, Clarence  H.,  Maj.  U.S. 

V.,  286. 

Thomas,  360. 

Eagan,  E.  B.  and  wife,  129. 
Earle,  Mrs.  M.,  120. 
Eastman,  Zebina,  112,  226. 
Ebert,  John,  203. 
Egan.  Mrs.  E..  120. 

Dr.  Wm.  B.,  114. 
Engel.  Geo.,  385. 
Erskine,  Col.  Albert,  268. 
Fairbank,  N.  K.,  256. 
Farnham,   G.  M.,  Captain  U. 

S.  V.,  286. 
Farwell,  John  V.,  324. 
Fearn,  Walter,  435. 
Fergus,  Robt.,   143. 
Fielden,  Paul,  385. 
Fischer,  Adolph,  384. 
Fittz,  Mr.,  104. 
Follansbee,  C.,  120. 

Mrs.  C.,  112. 
Foote,  J.,  136. 

Mrs.  J.,  121. 

J.  H..  121. 
Forbes,  Eliza,  123. 

Stephen,  122. 
Foster,  Geo.  F.,  160. 

Mrs.  G.  F.,  137. 
Fowler,  Mrs.  F.  H.,  112. 
Fuller,  H.  and  wife,  104. 
Furness,  W.  E.,  Maj.  U.  S.  V., 

286. 
Gage,  Mrs.  E.,  104. 

Lyman  J.,  352. 
Gale,  A.,  137. 
Gary,  Judge  Joseph  E.,  38(». 
Garrett,  Aug.,  360. 
Gates.  P.  W.,  120. 

Mrs.  P.  W.,  112. 
George  III.,  45. 
Gibbs,  A.,  120. 
Gleason,  McB.,  137. 
Goodhue,  JosiahC.,  149. 
Goodkins,  S.  R.,  137. 
Goodman,  Thomas,  113. 
Goodrich,  Judge  Grant,  263 
Gould,  Mr.  E.,  113. 

J.  N.,  137. 

Graff,  P.   and  wife.  Ii3. 
Graham,  E.  A.,  113. 
Grannis.  A.,  105. 
Grant,  Mrs.,  112. 
Gray,  C.  M.,  360 

Mrs.  C.  M.,  113. 

G.   W.,  137. 

J.,  137. 

Mrs.  J..  112. 

J.  H..  120. 

Mrs.  J.   H.,  113. 

M.,  137. 

Miss.  129. 

W.,  129. 

Greeley.  Horace,  197. 
Green,  R.  and  wife,  113. 
Greenebaum,   Mr.,  105 
Greiner.  John  B.,  383. 
Grinnell,  Julius  S.,  382. 
Groesbeck,  A.,  137. 
Gunn,  Dr.  Moses.  259. 
Gurley,  Jason,  157. 
Gurnee,  Walter  S..  360. 
Haines,  John  C.,  129.  360. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


xxi 


PORTRAITS  — Continued 

Hallam,  Rev.  Isaac  W.,  128. 
Hamilton,  Andrew,  388. 

P.  S.,  104. 

Richard  J.,  116. 
Hammond,  Chas.  G.,  324. 
Hancock,  J.  S.,  105 
Harding,   A.    J.,   Capt.   U,  S. 

V.,  286. 
Harmon.  E  ,  120. 

Isaac  D.,  137,  240. 

Isaac  N.,  105.240. 
Harper,  Mrs.  J.  M.,  113. 

W.,  136. 
Harris,  Jacob,  113. 

Mrs.  J.  E.,  105. 
Harrison,  Hon.  Carter  H.,360. 
Hart,  R.,  113. 
Hayes,  S.  I.,  309 
Heacock,  W.  C.,  104. 
Heald.  H.  N.  and  wife,  128. 

Rebekah,  58. 
Healey,  G.  P.  A.,  346. 
Heartt,  George,  104. 

Mrs.  Jane,  105. 
Heath,  Monroe,  360,  378. 
Henderson,  Mrs.  H.  E.,  129. 
Higgins,  Judge  Van  H.,  263. 
Hilliard,  L.  P..  136. 
Hing,  J.  and  wife,  104. 
Hjortsberg,  Max.  399. 
Hoard,  S.  and  wife,  136. 
Hogan,  J.  C.,  177. 
Holden,  Mrs.  Betsey,  348 

C.,  105 

C.  C.  P.,  192. 

Mrs.  C.  C.  P.,  105. 

C.  N.,121,  161. 

Mrs.  C.  N.,  121. 

J.  and  wife,  121. 

P.  H.,  348. 

Hooker,  Mrs.  L.  W.,  120. 
Hough,  R.  M.,  263. 
Hoyne,  Thomas.  194.  263. 
Hubbard.Gurdon  S.. 83,120,404 
Huggins,  E.,  Capt.  U.  S.  A.,  I 

283. 

Hughitt,  Marvin,  347. 
Hugunin,  L.  G.,  113. 
Huntington,  Alonzo.  196. 
Kurd,  Mrs.  H.  B.,  136. 
Hurlbut,  Henry  H.,  89. 
Hyde,  J.   N.,   Surgeon   U.    S.  '' 

N..  286. 
Ingalls,  R..  Bvt.  Maj.  Gen.  U. 

S   A.,  282. 
Ingals,    Dr.,  112. 
Ingham,  George  C.,  382. 
Isherwood,   Harry,  185. 
Jackson,   H.  W..  Major  U.  S. 
V.,  286,  413. 

J.   and  wife,  128. 
Jenks,   Mrs.  J.,  105. 
Jenney,  W.  L.    B.,    Major  U. 

5.  V.,282. 
Jennings,  J.,  113. 

S.   H.,  113. 
Johnson.  Dr.  Hosmer  A.,  338. 

J.,105. 
Jones,  Fernando,  120,  309. 

Mrs.  Fernando,  120. 
Jones,  J.,  105. 

N.  A.  and  wife,  128. 
Jouett,  Charles,  44. 


PORTRAITS. — Coniinmd. 

Judd,  Norman  B.,  154. 
Judson,  Mrs  E.,  113. 
Keeler.VV.  B.,Col.  U.  S.V.,286. 
Kehoe,  M..  128. 
Kidder,  H.  M.,  Col.  U.  S.  V., 

282. 
Kimball,  A.  F.,  128. 

Mark.  128. 
King,  Henry  W.,  336. 

Tuthill  and  wife,  113. 
Kin/if,  Gwenthlean  H.,  96. 

John  Harris,  94. 

Mrs.  Juliette  A.,  57. 

R.  A.,  95. 

Kirkland.  Joseph,  305. 
Kobles,  Miss  S.  C.,   104. 
Labaska,  K..  129. 
Lander.  J.  and  wife,  129. 
Lane,  E.  B.  and  wife,  129. 
Lange,  O.  G..  105. 

Mrs.  O.  G.,  137. 
Larned,  Edwin  C.,  263,  337. 
LaSalle:  SeeCavelier. 
Leake.Gen.Joseph  B.,  260,  282 
Lee,  T.,  137. 
Leiter,  Levi  Z  ,  354. 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  164,  200. 
Lind,  Sylvester,  137,  231. 
Lingg,  Louis,  384. 
Lipp,  R.,  129. 
Little  Turtle,  60. 
Lloyd,  Alexander,  360. 
Locke,  Rev.  Clinton,  344. 
Louis  XIV.,  214. 
Loomis,  John  Mason,  Col.  U. 

S.  V.,  286. 

Ludwig.  Chas.  H.,  383. 
Luff.W.  M.,Maj   U.  S.V.,286. 
Macham,  W.,  136. 
MacVeagh.  Franklin,  447. 
Manierre,  Edwin,  128. 

George,  263. 

Marshall,  J.  N.  and  wife,  129. 
Mason, Geo.,  Maj.  U.  S.  V.,  286. 

Mrs.  H.  P.,  136. 

Roswell  P.,  217.  360. 
McCagg,  Ezra  B.,  325. 
McClaughry,   Mai.   U.   S.   V., 

286. 

McClintock,  J.,  120. 
McCluer,  J.  E.,  137. 
McCormick,  Cyrus  H.,  448. 
McDonnell,  C.,  104,  112. 

Mrs.  C.,  104. 

McGraw,  J.  and  wife,  136. 
McKay,  Mr.,  104. 
McVicker.  Dr.  Brock,  113. 

Mrs.  Brock,  137. 

Jas.  H.,  223. 
McWarren,  J..  137. 

Mrs.  J.,129. 
McWilliams,   J.  G.,  Capt.  U. 

S.  V.,  286. 
Meacham.  R.,  104. 
Meadowcroft,  R.  and  wife,  121. 
Medill,  Joseph,  262,  360. 

Wm.  H.,  268. 
Merrill,  Mrs.  A.,  112. 
Me-tee  a,  86. 
Midgley,  R.,  120. 
Miles,  Gen.  Nelson  A.,  427. 
Milliken.  Isaac  L.,  360. 
Mills.  J.  K.  and  wife,  128. 


PORT  K  AITS. — Continue  J. 

Miner,    Mrs.  R.,  104,  282. 
Mitchell,  J.  B.  and  wife.  128. 
Munger,  D.  S.,  112. 
Morgan,  Mrs.  A.E.,  105. 
Morris,  BucknerS.,  1?6,  360. 
Morrison,  D.  and  wife,  121. 

E.  and  wife,  104,  105. 
Moses,  Judge  John,  410. 

Mrs.,  137. 

Murphy,  Mrs.  H.  A.,  113. 
Myers.  S.,  120. 
Myrick.  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  128. 
Neebe,  Oscar,  385. 
Nevin,  P.,  105. 
Newberry,  Julia  R.,  407. 

Mary  L.,  406. 

Walter  L.,  405. 
Newton,  J.  S.  and  wife,   105. 
Nichols,  Mrs.  E.,  129. 

L.,  137. 

S.  J.,  104. 

Norton,  Mrs.  D.,  104. 
O'Connor,  J.,  112. 
Ogden,  Mahlon  D.,  112,  194. 

Wm.  B.,  115,  360. 
Olsen,  Mrs    M.A.,  121. 
O'Neil,  Thos.  and  wife,  136. 
Osborne,  Frank  S.,  383. 

W.,  112. 

Wm.  H.,  220. 

Otis,   E..  Capt.  U.  S.  V.,  282. 
Page,   Peter,  195. 
Palmer,  Potter,  353. 

Mrs.  Potter,  440. 
Parsons,  A.  R.,  384. 
Peacock,  E..  137. 
Peck.    Ebenezer,  131. 

W.   L.,  137. 
Perkins,  O.    P..  105. 
Pitney,  F.  V..  137. 
Polk,  W.,  137. 
Poole.Wm.  F.,  409. 
Porter,  F.  H.,  113. 

Mrs.  F.  H.,  105. 

Jeremiah,  124. 
Pratt,  Mrs    E.,  137. 
Prindiville    Redmond,  203. 
Prophet.  The,  55. 
Proudfoot.  Lawrence,  276. 
Pullman,  George  M.,  389. 
Quirk,  David,  378. 
Randall,  S.  G.,  383. 
Raymond,  B.W.,112,  156.  360. 
Reed,  A.   H..  383. 

J.  C.,  112. 

J.  H.,  112. 
Reeves,  E.  F.,  120. 
Rice,  John  B.,  212,  360. 
Richmond,  T.   and  wife,  138. 
Robb,   Col.,  112. 
Robins,  R.,  Capt.  U  S  A.,  282 
Robinson,  Alexander,  78. 
Roche,  John  A.,  361. 
Rogers,  W.  B.,   120. 
Root,  John  W.,  450. 
Rumsey,  Julian,  263,  360. 
Runnion,  D.,  112. 
Russell.   M.   J.,    Lieut.   U.   S. 

V.,  286. 

Ryerson,   Joseph  T.,  337. 
Saint  Cyr,  Father  I.  M.  I.,  127. 
Sandford,   Harry  T.,  383. 
Satterlee,  M.  L.  and  wife.  104. 


XX11 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


PORTRAITS. — Continued. 

Sawyer,  H.,  113. 
Saunders,  R.  P.,  187. 
Scammon,  J.  Young,  128, 179, 

205. 

Schneider,  Geo.,263,  325. 
Schofield,     J.    M.,    Maj.-Gen. 

U.  S.  A.,  282. 
Schwab,  Michael,  385. 
Scott,  W.  and  wife,  137. 
Scoville,  H.  H..  112. 
Sexton,  J.  A.,  Capt.  U.  S.  V.. 

282. 

Shaubena,  104. 
Shelby,  J.,  120. 
Sheridan,  P.  H.,  Gen.  U.  S. 

A.,  282. 

Sherman  and  his  officers,  417. 
Sherman,  A.  S.,  137,  360. 

F.  C.,  360. 

Francis   T.,  Brig.  Gen.  U. 
S.  A.    282. 

Frank,  195. 

H.,  137. 

Shipman,    Dr.    G.     and    wife, 
104. 

D.  B.,  128. 

S.  V.,  Col.  U.   S.  V.,  282. 
Shortall,  John  G.,  315. 
Skinner,  Judge  Mark,  180,  263. 

Richard,  269. 
Small,  J.  and  wife,  129. 
Smart,  E.,  121. 
Smith,  E.,  105. 
Smith,  Geo..  243. 

J.  F.,  105. 

Mrs.  M.  A.,  112. 
Snowhook,  W.  B.,  239. 
Sollitt,  J.,  113 

W.,  129. 

Mrs.  W.,  121. 

Speer,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.,  1-21. 
Spies,  August,  384. 
Spry,  Mrs.  B..   121. 

J.  and  wife,  121. 
Stewart.   Gen.   Hart   L.,   105, 

255. 
Stockton,  J.,  Brig. -Gen.  U.S. 

V.,  286. 

Stone,  W.  H.,  120. 
Stokes,  Gen.  James  H.,  26<). 
Sturtevant,  A.  D.,  105. 

Mrs.  A.  D.,  113. 
Sumner,  O.  P.    and   wife,  104. 
Surdam,  J.  R.   and   wife,  120. 
Sweeney,  J.,  112. 
Talcott,  E.  B  ,  120. 

M.  and  wife,  105. 
Taylor,  A.  H.,  137. 
Taylor,  G.  D.,  105. 
Taylor,  L.  D.,  137. 

N.  C.,  104. 

R..  137. 

Tasker,  Mrs..  120. 
Tear,  J.,  120. 
Tecumseh,  55. 
Temple,  J   S.  and  wife,  105. 
Thomas,  H.   H..   Capt.  U.    S. 

V.,  286. 
Thompson,  A.  H.    and    wife. 

105. 

Tinkham,  E.  I.,  345. 
Todd.  Chas.  B.,  383. 
Torrence,  Gen.  Joseph  T.,  ZT'.  \ 


PORTRAITS. — Continued. 
Trumbull,  Lyman,  351. 
Tucker,  Joseph  F.,  222. 
Turner,].,  121,  128. 

Mrs.  J.,  121. 
Tuthill,  Brig-Gen.  Richard  S., 

261. 

Tuttle,  F.,  120. 
Upton,  Geo.  P.,  213. 
Van  Arman.  John,  263. 
Van  Osdel,  J.,  113,  356. 
Van  Vlack,  E.  B.,  105. 
Vedder,  F.  H.   and  wife,  112. 
Vial,  R.,  104. 

S.,  105. 

Vincent,  A.,  129. 
Wadhams,  S.,  112. 
Wait,   H.     N.,    Paymaster  U. 
S.  N.,  282. 


J.  W.,  137. 

.Iker,   A 


Walker,   A.  F.,  Col.  U.  S.  V., 
286. 

Chas.,  173. 

S.  B.,  112. 
Wallace,  J.  S.,  120. 
Walsh,  C.  and  wife,  113. 
Ward,  J.,  113. 
Warner,  S.  B.,  129. 

Mrs.  S.  B.,  121. 
Washburne,  ElihuB.,284. 

Hempstead,  361. 
Washington,  Augustine,  46. 

George,  46. 

Lawrence,  46. 

Waterman,  A.  N.,   Col.  U.  S. 
A.,  282. 

R.,  Lieut.    U.  S.  V.,  282. 
Wayman,  S.  and  wife,  104. 

W.,  121. 

Wayne,  Gen.  Anthony,  50. 
Webster.  Gen.  JosephD.,  199. 
Wells,  H.  G  ,  121. 

Mrs.  H.  G.,  136. 

Capt.  William,  62. 
Wentworth,  Elijah,  128. 

John,  237,  360. 
Wheeler,  W.,  121. 
Whistler,   Wm.,  51. 

Mrs.  Wm.,  52. 
Whitehead.H.   and  wife,  136. 
Wicker,  Chas.  G.,  263. 
Wier,  G.  E.  and  wife,  136. 
Wilcox,  C.,  118. 
Willard,  A.  J.  and  wife,  121. 

E.  W.,  263. 

Miss  Frances,  141. 

J.  H.,  113. 

Williams,  Norman,  414. 
Wilson,  J.,  112. 

John  M.,  263. 
Winne,  A.,   Lieut.    U.    S.    V., 

286. 
Wolcott,  Alexander,  121,  192. 

Mrs.  Alexander,  121. 
Wood,  A.  C.,  206. 
Woodruff,   Mr.  and  wife,  112, 

120. 
Woodward,  C.,  136. 

Mrs.  C.,  104. 
Woodworth,  Mrs.  J.,  136. 
Worthington,  D.  and  wife,  121. 
Yates,  H.  H..  113. 

Gov.  Richard,  263. 
Yoe,  P.  L.,263. 


PULLMAN,  SCENES  IN. 
Arcade  Building,  395. 
Daughters  of  Workers,  399. 
Fire  Department,  392. 
Hotel  Florence,  393. 
Lake  Vista,  394. 
Main    Administrative    Build- 
ing, 398. 

Railway  Station,  391. 
School  Building,  400. 
Watchman  at  Gate,  397. 
Water  Tower,  388. 

STATUES. 
Douglas  Monument. 
Grant  Monument  in  Lincoln 

Park. 
La    Salle    Statue  in     Lincoln 

Park. 
Lincoln      Statue    in      Lincoln 

Park. 
Linnaeus    Statue    in     Lincoln 

Park. 

WORLD'S   COLUMBIAN   EX- 
POSITION. 

Administration  Building,  419. 
Agriculture  Building,  433. 
Art  Palace,  424. 
Electrical  Building,  432. 
Fisheries  Building,  429, 
Government  Building.  420. 
Horticultural  Building,  431. 
Illinois  State  Building,  423. 
Machinery  Hall,  430. 
Manufactures      and       Liberal 

Arts  Building,  4^6. 
Mines  and  Mining.  432. 
Transportation  Building,  424. 
Women's  Building,  428. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

After  the  Storm,  11. 

Anarchist  Case,   Jury  in,  383. 

Beaubien's  Fiddle.  135. 

Beaver  at  Work,  79. 

Beaver  Dam,  12. 

Black   Partridge  Medal,  61. 

Buffalo  Rock.  28. 

Canal  Scrip  Bank  Notes.  169. 

"Chicago  Construction,"  449. 

Chicago  in   1812,  65. 

Chicago  in  1840  (Schoolcraft's 
View),  85. 

Chicago  in  1845,  214. 

Chicago  in  1850,215. 

Chicago  in  1889,  65. 

Chicago    River,    Plan  for  Im- 
proving Mouth  of.  93. 

"Chicagou"  (wild  onion),  8. 

Chimera,  stump  tail,  242. 

Clark  Street,  Evolution  of, 147. 

Clark  Captures  Kaskaskia,  37. 

Couch  Family    Tomb    in    Lin- 
coln Park,  183. 

Dawn,  92. 

Dearborn  St.  bridge,  119 

Douglas  monument,  250. 

Park,  scenes  in :  See  Parks. 

Drummer  Boy,  The,  257. 

Explorers  on  the  lakes,  16. 

French  settlements.  29. 

Great  Lakes,   elevation  above 
tidewater,  5. 


ILL  USTRA  TfONS. 


xxui 


MISCELLANEOUS. — Continued. 
Fac  similes  of  Autographs,  etc. 

Caldwell,  Wm.,  77. 

Heacock.  R.  E..  133. 

Kinzie,  James,  97. 
John  ,87. 

Miller.  Samuel,  97 

Playbill  of  1849.  212. 

Scrip,  canal,  169-71. 
Fire  Engines. 

Double  Decked,  152. 

Long  John,  236. 

Side  Brake,  152. 
Flag  of  distress,  64. 
Flat  Boat,  The,  31. 
Flood  of  1849.  208. 
GarBeld    Park,    scene    in:     See 

parks. 

Garlick,  wild,  8. 
"  Go  on  with  your  dancing;  but 

remember,"  37. 
Grand  Boulevard,  375. 
Grant     monument     in     Lincoln 

Park.  438. 
Haymarket,  381. 
Hennepin's  Niagara,  7. 
"  His  last  cent,"  163. 
Hook  and  Ladder  Truck,  152. 
Hospital  tent,  scene  in,  287. 
Illinois  Farm.  188. 

River  Valley,  6. 


MISCELLANEOUS. — Continued. 

Indian  Girl,   106. 
Mound,  9. 
Squaw,  102. 
War  dance,  110. 

Indians  on  the  move,  111. 

"  Lady  Elgin,"  wreck  of,  273. 

Lake  St.  fire  of  1834,  134. 

Lalime,  Jean,  remains,  101. 

La    Salic    statue,    in    Lincoln 
Park,  Frontispiece. 

La  Salle  St.  tunnel,  280. 

Leek,  wild,  8. 

Lincoln   Park,    scenes  in:   See 
Parks. 

Lincoln  statue,  277. 

Linnreus  statue,  402. 

Locomotive,  First,  202. 

Mackinaw,  Straits  of,  228. 

"  Madeira  Pet,"  238. 

Massacre  Tree   and    Pull- 
man's House,  70. 

Mayors  of  Chicago,   Suc- 
cession of,  360. 

Michigan  ave.  in  1849,  241. 

Moonlit  Graves,  91. 

Mound  Builders,  Relic  of,  8. 

Newberry   Library    Build- 
ing in  Construction,  411. 

Niagara     Falls.    Father 
Hennepin's  Sketch,  7. 


MISCELLANEOUS. — ContinutJ. 

Niagara  Rapids  at  Work,  2. 

Niagara,   retirement  of,  3. 

Ogden    Wentworth    Ditch 
(Mud  Lake)  in  1890,  19. 

Old   Judge  and  the  Young 
Candidate,    The,  151. 

Pipe,  Relic  of  the  Mound 
Builders,  8. 

Police   Patrol,  387. 

Prairie  Avenue  in  1891,  437. 

Prairie  Wolf,  148. 

Red  Coat,  1812,  34. 

Sherman  and  His  Officers.  417. 

Scalp,  The.  30. 

Sleeping  Car,  The  first,  as 
it  looked  in  1891,  234. 

Stacked  Guns,  272. 

Stage  Office,  181. 

Starved      Rock;     near      Utica 
111.,  23. 

Stock-Yards,  View  in,  278. 

Storm  Cloud,  10. 

Stump-tail  Chimera.  242. 

Tablet  on   Site  of  Fort  Dear- 
born, 82. 

Union  Defence  Committee,  263, 

Valley  Forge,  43. 

Waubansa  Stone,  155. 

Wolf  Point  in  1830,  98. 


A    THOUSAND    CENTURIES. 


NMISTAKABLE  testimony  of  Nature's  land- 
marks and  watermarks  shows  us  that  at  some 
past  day  the  surface  of  Lake  Michigan  was 
more  than  thirty  feet  higher  than  now,  and  the 
floods  of  Lakes  Superior,  Huron  and  Michi- 
gan flowed  southwest  by  the  Illinois  and  Mis- 
sissippi to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  instead  of  northeast  by  Niagara,  Ontario 
and  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Atlantic.  Also  that  the  course  of 
the  mighty  stream  was  over  the  then  submerged  flat  where  now  stands 
Chicago;  and  that  a  great  part  of  it,  following  the  general  course  of  the 
little  West  Fork  of  our  South  Branch,  past  the  Bridgeport  quarter,  over 
the  nearly  dry  expanse  we  call  Mud  Lake  (traversed  now  by  the  canal, 
the  Alton  and  the  Santa  Fe  Railways  and  theOgden-Wentworth  ditch), 
poured  in  a  fine  flood  across  the  "Divide"  between  Summit  and  River- 
side, a  mile  beyond  present  city  limits,  into  the  bed  of  the  Des  Plaines. 
To-day  that  "  Divide"  is  but  eight  or  ten  feet  above  the  surface  of 
Lake  Michigan  ;  therefore  when  that  surface  was  thirty  feet  higher  its 
outlet  had  twenty  feet  or  more  of  depth  ;  and,  as  the  gap  of  low  land 
now  shows,  it  was  two  miles  wide.  One  easily  pictures  the  grandeur 
and  beauty  of  the  southward  moving  mass  as  it  starts  toward  Joliet 
Lake,  the  Illinois  valley  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Where  was  Niagara  then,  and  why  did  it  not,  as  now,  afford  a  "line 
of  least  resistance  "  for  the  drainage  of  the  great  Northwestern  water- 
shed ? 


Lake  Michigan 
flowed  toward 
the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


How  the 
came      it; 
change  d 
tion. 


Niagara  was  doubtless  a  brawling  stream  meandering  along  near 
-the  tops  of  the  hills  whose  feet  it  now  washes.  The  Falls  themselves, 
which  have  worn  their  way  upstream  perceptibly  even  within  historic 
times,  were  necessarily  somewhere  near  the  declivity  at  Lewiston  where 
the  high  ground  ends  and  the  Ontario  flat  begins.  There  is  a  far 
greater  fall  from  Lake  Erie  to  Ontario  than  from  Lake  Michigan  to 
the  Mississippi,  and  a  shorter  course  in  which  to  make  the  drop  —  there- 
fore a  swifter  current.  Other  things  being  equal,  the  faster  water  flows 
the  faster  it  deepens  its  channel.  At  a  certain  speed  it  makes  soil  by 
deposit,  at  another  speed  it  gnaws,  scours,  carries  away.  So  are  mount- 
ains brought  low  and  valleys  filled  up. 


NIAGARA    RAPIDS    AT    WORK. 


Starting  with  the  time  when  they  were  on  equal  terms;  when  our 
Western  stream — let  us  call  it  Joliet  river,  to  coin  a  term — and  the 
Niagara  were  carrying  each  the  same  quantity  of  water;  Niagara,  with  its 
quicker  fall,  over  at  least  equally  friable  material,  must  gain  upon  Joliet. 
The  former  underbids  the  latter  and  draws  more  and  more  from  its 
income.  The  more  it  gains,  the  more  it  may,  for  it  has  the  stolen 
capital  to  gain  with. 

Slowly,  slowly,  the   Niagara  cataract  plows  its  backward  furrow- 
kicks  its  way   uphill    toward    Lake  Erie.     Each  step  gained    steals  a 
hairbreadth  from  the  lake  levels,  each  hairbreadth  lessening  the  supply 
for  the  Joliet  river.     Slowly,  slowly,  Lake  Michigan  recedes,  each  pause 


TIME  UNKNOWN.  3 

marked  by  a  long  roll  of  beach-sand,  miles  in  length,  parallel  to  the  pres- 
ent lake  shore  ;  and  lo  !  those  long  ridges  stretch  through  Chicago 
suburbs  to  this  day,  visible  to  the  eyes  of  all  and  puzzling  to  the  mind  of 
the  thoughtless. 

Niagara  is  still  plowing  its  furrow,  and  the  lakes  are  still  losing 
their  hairbreadths  of  depth.     To   our  posterity  will  one  day  come  a 


CHART  SHOWING  RETIREMENT  OF  NIAGARA  SINCE  1843. 

serious  question — how  shall  this  exhaustion  be  checked?     Shall  it  go  Threatened  de. 
on  until  Lake  Erie  tumbles  bodily  over  the  edge,  and   Buffalo,   Erie,    section  of 

*  Lake  Erie. 

Cleveland,  Sandusky  and  Toledo  are  left  far  inland  and  harborless  ? 
Happily  this  is  not  our  present  problem.  Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil 
thereof.  Instead  of  the  far  future  let  us  turn  to  the  far  past  and  take 
a  look  at  our  chosen  spot  of  earth  as  it  was  in  the  days  when  Lake  Michi- 
gan was  brim  full  and  flowed  southward  over  Chicago's  submerged  plain. 


4  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

This  is  the  forest  primeval.    The  murmuring  pines  and  the  hemlocks. 
Bearded  with  moss,  and  in  garments  green,  indistinct  in  the  twilight. 
Stand  like  Druids  of  old,  with  voices  sad  and  pathetic. 
Stand  like  harpers  hoar,  with  beards  that  rest  on  their  bosoms . 
Loud  from  its  rocky  caverns  the  deep- voiced  neighboring  ocean 
Speaks,  and  in  accents  disconsolate  answers  the  wail  of  the  forest. 
When    Chicago 

geads.  s  Here  is  the  southwestern  bend  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  now  is  an 

era  centuries  ago  —  a  score,  a  hundred,  a  thousand  —  no  matter  how 
many,  for  Nature  takes  no  account  of  time.  "A  thousand  years  in  thy 
sight  are  but  as  yesterday  when  it  is  past,  and  as  a  watch  in  the  night." 

Taking  Waukegan  Point  as  a  starting  place  and  walking  south- 
ward, the  shore  of  the  old  unknown  epoch  is  much  like  that  of  the 
known  until  we  come  to  the  southern  point  of  the  loo-foot  bluff  of 
Lake  Forest,  Highland  Park,  Highwood,  and  Lakeside.  At  Winnetka 
the  high  ground  begins  to  trend  to  the  westward,  and  in  these  old  days 
the  water  does  likewise,  lapping  the  shore  at  the  foot  of  the  long  south- 
western hill  which  starts  in  the  Wilmette  suburb.  Here  we  go,  in 
fancy,  about  southwest,  at  the  water's  edge,  leaving  an  elevated  marsh 
("The  Skokie")  on  our  right  and  coming  to  where  a  little  stream 
(North  Branch)  empties  between  high  banks  (Norwood  Park). 

The  marsh  and  the  stream,  nay,  even  the  lake  itself,  are  teeming 
with  wild-fowl;  myriads  upon  myriads  rise  and  circle  about,  filling  the  air 
with  their  hoarse  cries  and  the  noise  of  their  wings.  Wild  geese  and 
wild  swan,  duck,  pelican,  crane,  throng  and  crowd  each  other,  unknow- 
ing as  yet  the  extinction  that  awaits  them.  The  marsh  is  their  breed- 
ing-place and  the  lake  their  highway  between  the  Arctic  and  the  Tropic.* 

Next  our  course  is  southward  for  some  seven  miles  (Montclare, 
Galewood,  etc.),  after  which  it  turns  more  toward  the  west  (Austin, 
Ridgeland,  Oak  Park,  etc.),  and  then  again  southwest,  f 

At  this  part  of  our  progress  we  find  ourselves  on  a  narrowing  spit 
of  land,  between  the  lake  on  our  left  and  a  brook  (Des  Plaines)  on  our 
right.  At  last  (Riverside)  they  join,  and  the  stream  is  lost,  yet  not  in 
the  lake  itself,  but  in  a  vast  river  flowing  placidly  from  the  lake  toward 
the  southwest.  Looking  across  the  stream  we  see  the  low-lying  shore  of 
the  lake  begin  again,  some  two  miles  away  to  the  south,  whence  it  trends 
away  southeastward,  continuing  low  and  inconspicuous  for  a  stretch  of 
six  miles,  when  it  rises  gracefully  in  a  hill  that  forms  a  picturesque  blue 

*  Even  at  this  writing  ( 1890)  the  Skokie  is  very  fair  shooting-ground  during  the  springand  autumn,  and  the 
writer,  only  a  year  ago,  heard  and  saw  a  large  flock  of  wild  geese,  bewildered  by  a  coming  storm.  Hying  low 
over  the  roofs  of  the  Chicago  houses;  certainly  not  more  than  100  feet  high,  for  their  frightened  "Honk!  Honk!'' 
could  be  plainly  distinguished,  and  the  city  light  was  strongly  reflected  from  their  broad,  flapping  wings. 

tObserve  the  accompanying  map,  giving  the  city  and  suburbs,  the  present  lake  shore  and  the  old.  The  lat- 
ter is  meandered  by  levels  carefully  observed  and  recorded  under  the  auspices  of  the  Chicago  Drainage  Com- 
mission. 


TIME  UNKNO  WN. 


island  (Washington  Heights)  to  finish  off  our  landscape  with  a  genu- 
ine mound  rising,  with  its  trees,  a  hundred  feet  above  this  brimming  lake. 

If,  finding  we  can  go  no  further  dry-shod,  we  turn  up  the  high  bank 
of  the  smaller  stream  (Des  Plaines)  we  shall  soon  come  to  a  beaver- 
dam  and  hear  the  loud  "pat,  pat,  pat"  on  the  water  of  the  huge   flatAsPect  of  the 
tails  of  these   industrious  rodents  as  they  swim  hither  and  yon  upon    im«. 
their  absorbing  tasks.* 

A  few  miles  further  inland  we  should  meet  droves  of  antelope  and 
deer  of  all  kinds,  even  the  carriboo  or  reindeer;  innumerable  wild  turkeys, 
and  the  vast  herds  of  buffalo  covering  the  ground,  "so  that  when  they 
moved  it  looked  as  if  the  surface  of  the  earth  were  in  motion."  But 
we  have  seen  what  we  came  to  see  and  will  drop  the  curtain  on  the 
mimic  landscape. 


Uncounted  ages  pass.  Yearsin  companies,  regiments,  brigades,  and 
armies  go  by  unmarshalled  and  unmarked.  The  lake,  drawn  upon  at 
its  northern  extremity,  becomes  a  stingy  provider  for  our  river  Joliet, 
and  its  stream  grows  perceptibly  lower  and  feebler. 

The  long,  broad  pathway  (Illinois  valley)  it  has  cut  for  itself,  with 
flats,  terraces,  lakes  and  rapids,  is  out  of  all  proportion  to  its  needs;  it 
is  like  the  garment  of  "the  lean  and  slippered  Pantaloon,"  that  is  "a 
world  too  wide  for  his  shrunk  shanks."  Verily,  the  Joliet  is  falling  into 
its  dotage.  It  is  still  a  gay  stream,  and  floats  with  dignity  along  the 
"twelve-mile  level  "  to  its  end  (Lockport)  and  then  tumbles  loudly  and 
merrily  down  over  the  limestone  strata,  77  feet  in  ten  miles,  to 
its  first  temporary  resting-place  (Lake  Joliet),  but  it  is  no  longer  a 
superior,  an  equal,  or  even  a  respectable  rival  to  Niagara,  which  has 
grown  large  and  lusty  upon  its  competitor's  decay. 


*  Remains  of  beavrr  dams  rre  fi8i>o)  still  visible  all  about. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The     divide 
emerges  (rom 
the  waves - 


More  years,  years,  years,  in  endless  procession.  How  are  the  mighty 
fallen  !  The  Joliet  has  ceased  to  surpass  even  the  insignificant  Des 
Plaines.  Humbly  it  mixes  its  waves  with  its  old  servant  and  later  hand- 
maid. When  the  north  wind  blows  and  the  lake  is  piled  up  at  its  south- 
erly end,  the  summit  feels  the  passage  of  something  like  its  old-time 
burden ;  but  when  the  soft  south  prevails,  especially  if  the  Des  Plaines 
has  snow  about  its  head,  then  it  crowds  out  its  former  master  and  posi- 
tively sends  part  of  its  own  stream  lakeward.  More  years  and  ages  in 
their  slow,  untiring  course;  and  the  time  comes  when  the  lake  is  never 
high  enough  to  send  even  a  wave  over  the  Divide.  There  is  a  dry  bar 
there  save  when  the  Des  Plaines  sends  down  a  flood  that  overtops  it 
and  surges  eastward  through  Mud  lake.  The  Joliet  river  has  ceased  to 


•r 


ILLINOIS  RIVER  VALLEY. 
(SHOWING  ABRASION  OF  Son.  AND  ROCK.) 

exist.  The  lake  is  falling  so  that  almost  every  century  shows  fresh 
reaches  of  sandy,  ridge  along  its  edge.  For  the  nature  of  earth  and 
water  is  such  that  sand  and  gravel  are  formed  and  deposited  along  a 
surf-beaten  shore,  while  clay  and  other  lighter  floating  stuff,  that  roily 
water  holds  in  suspension,  can  only  find  the  bottom  in  deeper  depths 
where  there  is  a  calm  stratum  through  which  the  silt  may  sink.  There- 
fore is  it  that  we  everywhere  find  a  clayey  subsoil  near  our  sandy  surface. 
While  the  water  was  deep  the  settlings  made  the  clay ;  when  the  shore 
encroached  on  the  waves,  it  came  in  the  shape  of  sand. 


TIME  UNKNOWN.  7 

Still  there  is  none  to  note  the  change  except  the  wild  fowl,  the 
beaver,  the  buffalo  and  their  almost  harmless  "  natural "  enemies,  the 
wolves,  bears,  foxes  and  coyotes.  But  at  some  time  in  the  course  of 
ages,  a  new  visitor  appears,  a  biped,  slight,  erect  and  tall — rare  and 
unterrifying  in  appearance,  yet  the  forerunner  of  doom  to  the  flocks  and 
herds  of  air  and  earth.  The  first  comers  are  of  a  semi-civilized  race  now 
lost  to  knowledge  and  even  to  tradition.  They  were  hardy  and  indus- 
trious, for  they  opened  the  copper-mines  of  Lake  Superior  and  worked 
them  for  untold  years,  and  to  this  day  their  tools  and  their  works  are 
found  there  deep  under  ground,  surrounded  by  masses  of  half-mined 
metal.  Suddenly  and  simultaneously  they  dropped  their  implements 
and  fled,  and  whence  they  came  and  whither  they  went  is  one  of  the 
world's  insoluble  riddles.  Were  they  the  peaceable  Aztecs,  spreading 
out  so  far  as  to  be  the  miners  and  the  mound  builders,  and  driven  back 
by  the  terrible  red  man,  a  better  fighter  and  poorer  worker  than  them- 
selves ?  Quicnsabe?  They  could  not  write,  and  so  they  are  forgotten. 
Words  are  the  only  things  that  live  forever. 

After  them  are  centuries  of  Red  Indian  nomads — a  terrible  race,  a 
repulsive  race,  a  vanishing  race — yet  perhaps  worthy  of  a  short  chapter 
to  itself. 


Vanished  races. 


NIAGARA     FALLS. 
As  SKETCHED  BY  FATHER  HENNEPIN  IN  1698. 


Meaning  of  the 
name. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE  ABORIGINES GOD  S  IMAGE  DONE  IN 

COPPER. 

S  the  lake  receded  from    its    ancient  shore  it 
left   behind    it   one   slender   two-toed  foot- 
print— a  rivulet  with    two   branches.      The 
north  branch,  coming  in  at  the  Skokie,  pre- 
served a  southward  course  nearly  parallel  with 
the  deserted  shore-line,  while  a  south    branch, 
with  various  creeping  affluents,  started  north- 
ward from  the    abandoned  "Divide"    and  met  the 
the  other  half  way,  after  which  the  two  made  eastward 
to  find  their  parent  body,  the  lake.     Puny,  struggling 
creeks  they  were,  at  the  best,    flowing  almost  as  often 
inward  as  outward,  according  to  the  vagaries  of  the  winds 
and  waves  of  stormy  Michigan. 

The  wild  onion,  leek  or 

garlic, -chicagou."  Among  the  weeds  on  the  banksof  these  weedy  creeks 

there  was,  and  is  to  this  day,  a  worthy  plant ;  graceful,  humble  and 
inconspicuous  to  the  eye,  repellant  to  the  nose,  hardy  and  persistent, 
and  valuable  in  its  unpretending  way.  It  is  the  wild  garlick,  leek  or 
onion.* 

The  lowly  creek  has  drawn  to  itself  the  name  of  the  lowly  plant  as 
rendered  in  the  Indian  tongue,  "Chickagou,"  a  name  with  many  an 
alias. 

"  Che-cau-gou  "  (  Hennepin's  story 
of  La  Salle's  expedition  in  1680); 
"Chicagua"  (Samson,  geographer 
to  Louis  XIV.);  "Chikagu," 
"Chikagou,"  "Chicagu"  (St.  Cosme, 
visiting  the  locality  in  1699);  "  She- 
caugo,"  meaning  "playful  waters," 
and  "  Choc-ca-go,"  meaning  "  desti- 
tute" (Pottawatomie?);  "Chickahou" 
(La  Hontan);  "Shegahg,"  meaning  "skunk,"  or  "She-gau-ga-winzhe," 
meaning  "  skunk  weed  or  wild  onion"  (Chippewa  dialect  of  the  Algon- 
quins);  "Eschikagou"  (Col.  De  Puyster,  English  commandant  at 

*  Allium  Fricoccum;  lance-leaved  garlick,  wild  leek,  9  inches  and  higher,  10  to  12  white  flowers.  Leaves  lance- 
olate, oblong,  flat  and  smooth,  s  to  8  inches  long.  Bulb  oblong. 


Pipe.    Relic  of  the  Mound  Builders. 


THE  INDIANS.  9 

Michilimackinack,  1779);  "  Chicagou,  or  Garlick  Creek"  (William 
Murray,  attempted  land-grabber,  1773);  "  Gitchi-ka-go,"  meaning  "  a 
thing  great  orstrong"  (dialect  of  the  Illinois  tribes). 

All  these  and  doubtless  others  are  variations  of  a  single  word.  Only 
one  thing  is  certain  —  namely,  that  the  word  denotes  something 
"strong,"  whether  like  a  giant  or  like  a  leek  is  not  important.  Those 
who  love  Chicago  will  take  it  in  one  sense ;  those  who  love  her  not  may 
choose  the  other.  Unbiased  observers  have  called  her  strong  in  both 
senses  of  the  word.  Giants  have  their  faults  and  onions  have  their  vir- 
tues. Brave,  generous,  devoted,  faithful  Tonty,  in  his  memoirs,  speaks  of 
the  abundance  of  the  wild  leek  or  onion  throughout  the  country,  and  says 
that  he  and  his  companions  were  sustained  by  the  plants  of  this  nature 
which  they  grubbed  from  the  ground  while  journeying  northward  from 
the  Illinois  in  1680-81.* 


INDIAN  MOUND.    (Now  part  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.) 

A  little  bulb,  strong,  hardy  and  wholesome,  sustaining  the  famish- 
ing wanderer:  A  great  metropolis,  powerful,  kindly  and  gay,  feeding  the 
hungry  world — let  who  will,  rail  at  either.  Chicago  should  forestall 
criticism  by  adopting  the  Chi-ca-gou,  from  root  to  flower,  as  her  civic 
emblem.  "  Gare  a  qui  touche."  Touch  it  who  dare  ! 

Our  earliest  information  regarding  the  two-pronged  brook,  Garlick 
creek,  otherwise  Chicago  river,  is  to  the  effect  that  many  Indian  trails 
led  to  it  from  all  directions.  We  might  have  guessed  this  ;  similar 
causes  produce  similar  results,  and  innumerable  paths,  trodden  by  men  of 
all  colors,  are  bent  toward  it  to  this  day.  It  is  the  spot  where  one  great  cwca 
system  of  water  travel  comes  into  almost  perfect  touch  with  another. 
Nowhere  on  the  continent,  perhaps  nowhere  in  the  world,  is  there  a 
point  where  two  so  vast  natural  highways  approach  each  other,  sepa- 
rated by  so  slight  a  barrier.  The  Atlantic  voyager  entering  the  St. 

*  "  In  the  woods  we  fcund  a  sort  of  garlick,  not  so  strong  as  ours,  and  small  onions  very  like  ours  in  taste."— 
Jtmtil. 


JO 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO 


Lawrence  past  icy  Labrador,  when  he  has  sailed  and  portaged  to  the 
very  head  of  free  navigation — nearly  two  thousand  miles — comes  to  a 
point  where  (at  high  water)  he  may  pass,  without  disembarking,  on  a 
descent  of  another  two  thousand  miles  to  the  semi-tropical  Gulf. 

So  hither  came  the  trails.  Why  was  not  this  then  (as  it  is  now 
becoming)  the  greatest  of  meeting-points,  the  place  where  the  common 
interests  of  humanity  brought  thousands  or  millions  into  friendly  con- 
tact, each  profiting  by  the  prosperity  of  all,  and  all  by  that  of  each  ? 

Simply  because  these  trails  were  those  of  the  American  Indian. 

Copper,  among  metals,  is  hard  to  weld  with  any  other  metal ;  and 
among  human  beings,  the  color  seems  to  carry  the  quality.  No  more 
intractable  material  has  ever  come  from  the  crucible  of  animate  nature. 
Proud  and  yet  vain  ;  haughty  to  the  last,  even  when  helpless  ;  inde- 


THE  STORM  CLOUD. 


fatigable  in  destruction  and  ineffectual  in  construction  ;  pitiless  though 
so  pitiable,  despising  pain  in  himself  and  enjoying  it  in  others;  cruel  to 
Indian  Traits.  a  pitch  of  insanity  ;  brave  when  he  has  the  advantage,  but  not  steadfast 
in  adversity  and  defeat ;  cunning  without  wise  foresight ;  greedy  rather 
than  acquisitive;  incredulous  though  superstitious  ;  he  could  seize  but 
not  keep ;  see  but  not  learn  ;  conquer  and  destroy  but 
overrun  but  not  cultivate;  impoverish  but  not  enrich  : 
there  was  terror  ;  where  he  passed  there  was  desolation, 
solitude  and  called  it  peace."* 

As  either  master  or  servant  no  more  perfect  failure  ever  existed. 
He  acknowledged  no  superior,  and  he  controlled  no  inferior  except  his 
own  helpless,  enslaved  womankind. 

*  "  Solitudinem  faciunt :  pacem  appelljnt."    Tacitus. 


not    subjugate ; 
Where  he  went 
"  They  made  a 


THE  INDIANS.  n 

He  was  a  natural  drunkard,  and  self-denial  was  beyond  his  utmost 
mental  and  moral  scope. 

In  short,  the  most  indocile,  intractable,  unlovable,  unmanageable  of 
the  tribes  of  the  sons  of  men,  was  the  American  Indian. 

The  advocates  and  apologists  of  the  Indian  are  many  and  merciful ; 
but  the  consensus  of  opinion  among  those  who  know  him  best  upholds 
the  derogatory  view.  McKinney  ("  Indian  Tribes  ")  says  :  "Theirgreat 
business  in  life  is  to  procure  food  and  devour  it,  to  subdue  enemies  and 
scalp  them."  Chief  Justice  Caton,*  himself  personally  intimate  with  the 
Pottawatomies  and  Ottawas  who  had  their  residence  about  Chicago 


AFTER  THE  STORM. 

when  he  came  here  (1833),  and  preserving  friendly  relations  of  mutual 
respect  and  esteem  with  men  of  both  tribes  (with  whom  he  tramped, 
camped  and  hunted)  until  they  were  moved  westward,  says  (Fergus' 
Historical  Series,  No.  3): 

It  is  emphatically  true  of  all  our  American  Indians  that  they  can  not  exist,  multiply  and 
prosper  in  the  light  of  civilization.  Here  their  physical  vigor  fails,  their  reproductive  powers  dimin- 
ish, their  spirit  and  their  very  vitality  dwindle  out,  and  no  philanthropy,  no  kindness,  no  fostering  Caton. 
care  of  government,  of  societies,  or  of  individuals,  can  save  them  from  an  inevitable  doom.  They 
are  plainly  the  "sick  man"  of  America;  with  careful  nursing  and  the  kindest  care  we  may  prolong 
his  stay  among  us  for  a  few  years,  but  he  is  sick  of  a  disease  which  can  never  be  cured. 

No  sooner  is  such  an  estimate  of  the  Aboriginal  character  ventured, 
than  a  cry  of  protest  arises,  and  a  hundred  examples  are  adduced  of 
quite  opposite  characteristics.  Here,  connected  with  our  own  annals, 
have  lived  individual  Indians  whom  it  would  be  slanderous  to  describe 
in  such  bitter  words.  Judge  Moses,  while  holding  views  quite  in  con- 
sonance with  those  here  expressed,  says,  in  his  valuable  History  of 
Illinois  (vol.  I,  p.  37): 

In  not  a  few  instances,  these  untrained,  unreasoning  children  cf  nature,  knowing  no  guide 
but  instinct,  displayed  a  fidelity  to  treaty  obligations  which  might  well  put  to  shame  the  civilized, 
Christianized  Caucasian. 

Later  in  these  pages  we  shall  have  the  satisfaction  of  dwelling  upon 
the  friendship  of  individual  members  of  the  savage  race,  "Faithful 

*John  Dean  Caton,  late  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  is  still  living  in  Chicago,  in  full  vijjrr  rf 
mind  and  mem~ry.  To  his  personal  recollection  of  facts  and  incidents,  his  broad  judicial  views  of  the  course  of  events, 
and  his  scholarly  taste  and  judgment,  this  story  is  greatly  indebted. 


12  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

among  the  faithless  found."  Black  Partridge,  Winnemeg,  Topenebe, 
Little  Turtle,  Shabbona — these  names  (and  others)  bring  up  feelings  of 
gratitude  for  favors  rendered  by  the  red  men  to  the  white,  which  make 
it  a  painful  task  to  give  deliberate  judgment  against  their  race. 

One  circumstance,  unnoted  by  the  Indian  apologists,  has  great 
weight;  it  is  this: 

Among  all  the  tribes  of  savages  met  by  the  various  immigrations 
of  Europeans,  a  thousand  differences  of  arms,  implements,  manners, 


THE  BEAVER  DAM 


habits  and  customs  were  observed  ;  some  more  barbarous,  others  less  ; 
but  there  was  one  trophy,  one  weapon,  one  trait,  invariable  and  universal: 
scalp  Hunting,  the  bleeding  scalp,  the  sharp  scalping-knife,  the  rage  for  scalping.  This 
means  much.  It  means  that  killing  was  not  a  mere  means  to  an  end, 
but  the  end  aimed  at.  It  means  that  simple,  sheer,  unadulterated, 
unmitigated  murder  was  the  ideal  grace  of  manhood.  The  brain-pan 
of  man,  woman  or  child  yielded  its  covering,  torn  away  warm  and 
quivering  ;  and  the  possessor  was  sure  of  the  honor  and  favor  of  his 
fellows — men,  women  and  children. 

Savagery  the  world  has  always  known,  and   isolated  instances  of 
wholesale  destruction  of  non-combatants  in  the  drunkenness  of  victory ; 


THE  INDIANS.  ij 

but  there  is  no  record  of  a  whole  race,  consisting  of  many  tribes,  spread 
over  many  lands,  enduring  for  many  generations,  where  such  diabolism 
was  the  general  ethnic  trait. 

Not  only  was  this  cruel,  it  was  suicidal.  Even  the  tribes  were 
unstable  and  evanescent,  for  each  took  every  opportunity  to  destroy  its 
neighbor  and  possess  his  lands.  Defeat  meant  extermination,  not  sub- 
jugation, which  might  aggrandize  the  victors,  nor  even  a  slaughter  of 
warriors  and  possession  of  women  and  children.  Not  theirs  was  the 
thrifty  nature  which  impelled  the  Bible  patriarch  to  inculcate  such 
profitable  warfare  as  that  prescribed  in  Deuteronomy  xx  :  14. 

Their  perversity  was  our  opportunity.  If  they  had  stood  together 
and  cherished  each  other,  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  in  many  centuries  we 
could  have  made  the  headway  we  have  made  in  less  than  three. 

Justice  Caton,  in  his  sketch  already  quoted,  "The  last  of  the 
Illinois"  (Fergus1  Historic  Series,  No.  3),  gives  a  picturesque  account, 
derived  from  an  eye  witness,  of  the  extinction  of  the  great  tribe  which 
gave  its  name  to  the  Illinois  river  (or  took  its  name  from  the  river,  no 
one  can  say  which),  through  the  irruption  of  the  terrible  Iroquois  from  the 
far  east,  followed  by  a  characteristic  dash  made  by  near  neighbors  from  the 
north  on  the  helpless  and  starving  few  who  survived  the  other  attack. 
This  final  blow  was  delivered  by  theOttawas,*  and  Pottawatomies,  prob- 
ably as  late  as  1807. 

The  precipitous  hill  near  Ottawa,  now  called  "Starved  Rock,"  is  the 
piaceof  the  finishing  stroke  where  the  miserable  remnant  was  destroyed,1* 
sex,  age  or  infancy  bringing  no  exemption  from  the  common  doom. 
Was  any  shame  felt  or  obloquy  incurred  on  account  of  this  cowardly 
outrage?  None.  There  is  where  the  racial  infamy  puts  itself  in  evidence. 
It  is  not  that  awful  wrongs  are  done  by  one  Indian  tribe  to  another,  but 
that  when  done  they  bring  no  ill  name  or  reprobation  upon  that  branch 
from  the  rest.  Men  are  to  be  judged,  not  only  by  their  own  acts,  but 
also  by  the  esteem  in  which  they  hold  the  acts  of  their  fellows. 

Theodore  Roosevelt  (Winning  of  the  West,  vol.  i)  says: 

The  inhuman  love  of  cruelty  for  cruelty's  sake  which  marks  the  Red  Indian  above  all  other 
savages,  rendered  these  wars  more  terrible  then  any  others.  For  the  hideous,  unnamable,  unthink- 
able tortures  practiced  by  the  red  men  on  their  captured  foes  and  on  their  foes'  tender  women  and 
helpless  children  were  such  as  we  read  of  in  no  other  struggle — hardly  in  the  revolting  pages  that 
tell  of  the  deeds  of  the  Holy  Inquisition  (p.  86). 

Any  one  who  has  been  in  an  encampment  of  wild  Indians  and  had  the  misfortune  to  witness 
the  delight  the  children  take  in  torturing  little  animals,  will  admit  that  the  Indian's  love  of  cruelty 

for  cruelty's  sake,  can  not  possibly  be  exaggerated Among  the  most  brutal  white  borderers  a 

man  would  be  instantly  lynched  if  he  practiced  on  any  creature  the  fiendish  torture  which  in  an 
Indian  camp  either  attracts  no  notice  at  all,  or  else  excites  merely  laughter  (p.  86). 

The  expression  "too  horrible  to  mention"  is  to  betaken  literally,  not  figuratively  The  nature 
of  the  wild  Indian  has  not  changed.  Not  one  man  in  a  hundred  and  not  a  single  woman  escapes 

*  In  the  Jadian  tongue  this  word  is  pron">mccd  with  the  accent  on  the  second  syllable,  "  Ot-taw-wa." 


J4  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

torments  which  a  civilized  man  can  not  look  another  in  the  fac  -•  and  so  much  as  speak  of.  Imr-ale- 
ment  on  charred  stakes,  fingernails  split  off  backwards,  finger  joints  chewed  off,  eyes  burned  out — 
these  tortures  can  be  mentioned,  but  there  are  others  equally  normal  and  customary  which  can  not 
even  be  hinted  at,  especially  when  women  are  the  victims  (p.  95). 

Enough.  Cruelty  is  part  of  their  blood.  All  other  wrong  things 
can  be  forgiven,  but  not  cruelty.  A  crime  is  necessarily  an  exceptional 
act:  A  vice  may  be  a  virtue  turned  away  or  carried  to  excess:  Perse- 
cution may  arise  from  a  mistaken  sense  of  duty:  Folly  we  can  con- 
done as  being  sharers  in  follies.  But  as  for  him  who  finds  pleasure  in 
giving  pain,  let  him  be  anathema. 

It  is  vain  to  hope  to  interest  the  world  in  such  a  people.  To- 
day is  too  late  and  too  soon  for  it  to  be  accomplished — too  late  in  that 
Lost  Records.  aU  the  Indian's  ancient  history  is  irretrievably  lost,  and  we  know  not 
whence  he  came  or  who  it  was  (copper-miners  and  mound-builders) 
whom  he  ousted.  He  attempted  no  written  record  ;  he  had  no  general 
spoken  tongue  and  no  persistent  traditions.  It  is  too  soon,  in  that  his 
later  doings  are  not  yet  forgotten.  Romance  has  not  yet  had  time  to 
disguise  his  lazy,  dirty  domestic  tyranny  in  a  garb  of  patriarchal  dignity; 
his  awful  cruelty  in  a  halo  of  heroism. 

The  Indians  were  nomads,  with  evident  common  interests  which 
they  had  not  sense  enough  to  recognize  or  humanity  enough  to  act 
upon.  Their  "numerous  trails"  led  them  to  Chicago,  and  away  again. 
To  meet  was  to  fight,  to  fight  was  to  destroy.  Identity  of  wants,  needs 
and  perils  was  no  such  solvent  as  could  compact  them  together.  As 
well  try  to  boil  flints  into  a  pudding. 

Nothing  of  their  past,  worth  knowing,  can  be  known.  Their 
present  shows  no  progress  ;  their  future,  as  Indians,  gives  no  hope. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    RECORDED    STORY    BEGINS. 

HUS  far,  we  have  given  the  results  of  the 
study  of  natural  objects,  deduction,  specula- 
tion, judgment  of  effects  from  cause  and 
cause  from  effect.  Now  (beginning  1670) 
we  enjoy  recorded  history.  Both  sources  of 
knowledge  are  valuable,  each  has  its  dis- 
tinct and  separate  advantages.  The  latter 
kind  is  the  fuller  in  detail  and  more  human 
in  its  interests;  the  former  is,  perhaps,  on 
the  whole  more  trustworthy.  The  testi- 
mony of  the  rocks  and  hills  can  not  lie, 
nor  can  it  be  biased  by  interest,  vain-glory, 
prejudice,  bigotry  or  greed  of  gain.  Nor  can  it  forget. 

In  1535  and  again  in  1540,  the  French,  under  Admiral  Cartier,  sailed 
up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Montreal.  This  was  forty-three  years  after Comjn  ofthc 
Columbus'  momentous  summer  trip ;  and  eighty-five  years  before  the  ] 
terrible  winter  landing  on  Plymouth  Rock.  In  1603  and  1612  Champlain 
led  the  third  and  fourth  French  expedition  into  Canada,  and  there,  at 
Quebec,  the  gallant  French  established,  by  occupation,  a  foothold  which  to 
this  day  they  have  never  abandoned.  Politically,  France  now  holds  only 
the  Islands  St.  Pierre  and  Miquelon,  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  (together 
with  fish-curing  rights  on  the  north  shore  of  Newfoundland),  but  by 
direct  descendants,  by  patronymics,  by  religion  and  by  persistence  of 
manners,  customs  and  language,  the  French  still  cling  to  America,  not 
only  in  Canada,  where  they  form  the  mass  of  citizens  in  a  great  province, 
but  even  in  our  own  state  and  city,  where  they  are  honored  sharers  in 
our  national  and  civic  liberties. 

How  firmly  and  faithfully  they  have  preserved  their  nationality 
among  us  may  not  be  generally  known  ;  but  there  is  within  the  borders 
of  Illinois,  a  peaceful,  happy,  prosperous,  French-speaking  community, 
the  lineal  descendants  and  heirs  of  the  gallant  pioneers  of  two  hundred 
years  ago.* 

*  Mason's  "  Kaskaskia  "  and  "  Old  Fort  Chartrcs,"  Fergus"  Historical  Series,  No.  12. 

15 


^E_ 

^  ^  -///A-  «^p^  ^^ 


EARLIEST  RECORDS. 


The  French,  taking  the 
a    century 


The  English  at  Jamestown,   Va.,  in  1607. 

The  French  at  Quebec  in  1612. 

The  Dutch  at  New  York  in  1614. 

The  Puritans  at  Plymouth  in  1620 

Such  were  our  starting  posts  and  times, 
water-road  to  the  interior,  beat  the  others 
and  more,  for  Joliet  saw  the 
Chicagou  in  1673;  even  then 
finding  French  hunters  and  trap- 
pors  here  before  him.  Next 
arrived  the  Virginians,  when  in 
1778  (during  the  Revolutionary 
war)  the  heroic,  dashing  soldier, 
George  Rogers  Clark,  led  his 
amazing  expedition  across  the 
Alleghanies  and  down  the  Ohio, 
took  Kaskaskia,  Fort  Chartres, 
Vincennes,  and,  in  effect,  all 
Illinois  from  the  British,  who 
had  taken  it  from  the  French 
fifteen  years  before — as  we  shall 
see  in  due  course.  It  was  really 
not  until  well  within  the  present 
century,  that  the  New  York  and 
New  England  stock  has  come 
in  by  the  Erie  canal,  the  lakes, 
and,  above  all,  by  the  "  prairie 
schooner  "or  covered  wagon,  but 
it  seems  to  have  come  to  stay. 

The  three  first  named  all  came  with  royal  support,  with  grants, 
with  officers  of  rank,  with  many  ships  and  much  money.  The  last 
came  by  their  own  almost  unaided  strength,  and  fought  the  awful  fight 
almost  alone. 

The  breaking  waves  dashed  high 

On  a  stern  and  rockbound  coast. 
The  woods  against  a  stormy  sky 

Their  giant  branches  tossed 

And  the  h;avy  night  hung  dark 

The  hills  and  waters  o'er 
Wh:n  a  band  of  pilgrims  moored  their  bark 

On  the  wild  New  England  shore. 

Anvdst  the  storm  they  sang 

And  the  stars  heard,  and  the  sea  ; 
And  the  sounding  aisles  of  the  dim  woods  rang 

To  the  Anthem  of  the  Free! 


Race  of  the 
Races. 


1 8  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

Who  shall  say  how  much  of  the  firmness  of  our  fiber  comes  from 
their  labors,  privations  and  dangers  and  the  fortitude  that  gave  them 
their  victory  ? 

Before  the  Pilgrims  even  stepped  on  shore,  the  French  had  gained 
firm  foothold.  Champlain  set  a  good  example  to  the  emigrants  by 
taking  his  family  with  him  in  1612,  and  in  1622  the  Jesuits  began  their 
thankless  task  of  converting  the  Indians  to  Christianity.  They  "came 
over  in  great  numbers,  bearing  the  cross  and  the  olive-branch,  preach- 
ing the  Gospel  and  extending  civilization."  In  1639,  Nicolet  visited 
Jt°heetporuge.ers the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  In  1673,  Sieur  Joliet  and  Father 
Marquette,  his  priestly  scribe,  started  from  Green  Bay,  ascended  the 
Fox,  made  portage  across  the  Wisconsin  Divide  and  descended  the 
Wisconsin  to  the  Mississippi.  On  this  they  floated  far  down  (to  the  Ar- 
kansas ?)  and  then  they  paddled  back  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois,  and 
up  the  latter  (pausing  at  the  Indian  village  of  Kaskaskia  where  they 
were  "well  received")  and  entered  the  Northern  fork  (Des  Plaines), 
which  they  called  the  "  Chicagou,"  and  so  on  to  our  own  Chicago 
streamlet  which  they  called  the  Portage  river,  a  name  which  clung  to 
our  South  branch  until  about  1800.  Through  this  they  reached  Lake 
Michigan  (called  by  them  the  "  Lake  of  the  Islinois  ")  and  they  sailed 
along  the  lake  shore  to  Green  Bay,  whence  they  had  started.  Joliet 
went  on  to  Montreal,  where  he  reported  his  discoveries,  the  most  impor- 
tant of  which  was  the  Chicago  Portage.  Of  this  he  said,  with  an  accu- 
racy which  time  has  only  confirmed,  that  it  would  be  possible  to  go  from 
Lake  Erie  to  the  Mississippi  in  boats  "by  a  very  good  navigation.'' 
"  There  would  be  but  one  canal  to  make,  by  cutting  half  a  league  of 
prairie  to  pass  from  the  Lake  of  the  Illinois  to  the  St.  Louis  River 
which  empties  into  the  Mississippi." 

In    1674    Father  Marquette   started  again  from  Green   Bay    and 

coasted  along  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  on  which  he  observed 

and  reported  features  which  may  still  be  recognized  by  his  description. 

^"r"? s      He  reached  "  Portage  River,"  and  on  December  14,  1674,  he  stopped  at 

Hardscrabbie.  a  ca|-)|n  five  mjies  from  jts  mouth  "  and  near  the  portage,"  where  he  was 

detained  all  that  winter  by  illness.     Five  miles  from  the  lake  would  bring 

him  to  a  spot  very  near  the  City  Bridewell,  or  House  of  Detention, 

on  which  ground  he  may  have  been  the  first  prisoner  as  well  as  the 

first  recorded  Chicago  resident. 

But  we  can  not  even  now  say  that  we  have  identified  the  absolute 
pioneer  of  our  million  souls,  for,  as  we  are  told,  the  "cabin  belonged 
to  two  French  traders,  Pierre  Moreau  (La  Toupine)  and  a  companion, 
who  was  not  only  a  trader  but  a  surgeon  as  well."  So  just  as  we  seem 
to  have  arrived  at  the  very  frontier  and  starting-point  of  Western 


EARLIEST  RECORDS.  19 

civilization,  behold,  it  has  been  the  familiar  stamping-ground  of  French 
trappers  who  were  there  before  us.* 

La  Salle  visited  the  place  in  1682,  nine  years  after  Joliet,  and  speaks 
slightingly  of  the  latter's  "  proposed  ditch,"  saying,  "  I  should  not  have 
made  any  mention  of  this  communication  if  Joliet  had  not  proposed  itLa 
without  regard  to  its  difficulties."  Here  peeps  out  the  conscious  or  uncon- 
scious jealousy  of  the  rival  explorer.  Just  now  (1890),  208  years  later, 
we  are  proceeding  to  carry  out,  in  all  its  fullness,  the  suggestion  of 
Joliet,  and  to  falsify  the  slur  of  La  Salle. 


OGDEN-WENTWORTH    DITCH    (MUD    LAKE)    IN    l8oO, 

The  last  entry  made  by  poor  Marquette,  after  his  journey  with 
Joliet,  illustrates  the  tremendous  missionary  zeal  of  the  Jesuits,  and  the 
paucity  of  result  from  their  efforts,  as  follows  : 

Had  all  this  voyage  caused  but  the  salvation  of  a  single  soul,  I  should  deem  all  my  fatigue  well 
repaid.  And  this  I  have  reason  to  think,  for,  when  I  was  returning,  I  passed  the  Indians  of  Peoria;  I 


*  Judge  Caton  has  taken  the  pains  to  fix  the  spot  whereon  that  cabin  must  have  stooi.  He  puts  it  at  the  point 
where  the  West  Fork  joins  the  South  Branch.  Here,  in  1833,  he  saw  good  ground,  with  a  growth  of  timber,  just  the  place 
which  the  "two  French  traders"  would  choose.  And  on  this  point  there  was  an  old  cab  n  belonging  to  Col.  Beaubien, 
with  an  older  garJen  adjoining.  When  (in  1836)  he  built  his  first  house,  which  stood  so  far  out  of  t:> wn  (corn  er  of  Clinton 
and  Harrison  strests,  at  about  the  present  centre  of  the  city)  that  the  real  Chicagoans  living  near  Fort  Dearborn 
called  it  **  the  prairie  cottage,"  he  tramped  out  to  the  Beaubien  cabin  and  brought  away  some  ancirnt  shrubs,  which  he 
set  out  in  his  own  grounds.  They  grew  and  bore  currants,  perhaps  reproducing  :he  fruit  of  old  France  on  the  s^il  of 
young  Chicago. 


20  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

was  three  days  announcing  the  faith  in  their  cabins,  after  which,  as  we  were  embarking ,  they  brought 
me,  on  the  water  s  edge,  a  dying  child,  which  I  baptized  a  little  before  it  expired,  by  an  admirable 
Providence  for  the  salvation  of  that  innocent  soul  ! 

It  is  amusing  to  read  La  Salle's  vivid  and  unmistakable  portraiture 
of  our  own  South  Branch,  Mud  Lake  and  the  Divide  at  Summit,  which 
he  calls  the  "  Portage  of  Chicagou  : " 

This  is  an  isthmus  of  land  at  41  degrees,  50  minutes  north  latitude,  at  the  westof  the  Islinois 
lake  [Lake  Michigan]  which  is  reached  by  a  channel  formed  by  the  junction  of  several  rivulets  or 
meadow  ditches  [Chicago  River].  It  is  navigable  for  about  two  leagues  to  the  edge  of  the  prairie,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  westward.  There  is  a  little  lake  divided  by  a  causeway  made  by  the  beavers, 
about  a  league  and  a  half  long,  from  which  runs  a  stream,  which,  after  winding  about  a  half-league 
through  the  rushes,  empties  into  the  river  Chicagou  [Des  Plaines]  and  thence  into  that  of  the  Isli- 
nois. This  lake  [Mud  Lake]  is  filled  by  heavy  summer  rains  or  spring  freshets  and  discharges  also 
into  the  channel  [West  fork  of  South  Branch]  which  leads  to  the  lake  of  the  Islinois  [Lake  Michigan] 
the  level  of  which  is  seven  feet  lower  than  the  prairie  on  which  the  lake  [Mud  Lake]  is.  The  river 
of  Chicagou  [Des  Plaines]  does  the  same  thing  in  the  spring  when  the  channel  is  full.  It  empties 
a  part  of  its  waters  by  this  little  lake  [Mud  Lake]  into  that  of  the  Islinois  [Lake  Michigan]  and  at 
this  season,  Joliet  says,  forms  in  the  summer  time  a  little  channel  for  a  quarterof  a  league  from  this 
lake  to  the  basin  which  leads  to  that  of  the  Islinois,  by  which  vessels  can  enter  the  Chicagou  [Des 
Plaines]  and  descend  to  the  sea. 

There  is  a  strong  temptation  to  linger  over  the  first  fragmentary 
tales  of  our  now  famous  pla»-e.  Those  narratives  have  themselves  a 
sad  yet  picturesque  interest ;  they  are  stories  of  adventure,  danger, 
daring,  death;  of  a  brave  struggle  carried  on  by  knightly  soldiers  and 
zealous  priests,  with  deadly  enemies,  animate  and  inanimate.  Every 
fighting  traveler,  from  Ulysses  and  ^Enaeas  to  Henry  Stanley,  has  found 
an  audience  ready  to  hang  entranced  on  his  words.  Every  bearer  of 
the  cross  among  the  heathen,  from  the  first  crusader  to  the  latest 
martyred  missionary,  carries  our  hearts  in  his  scrip.  The  older  and 
more  settled  and  commonplace  the  world  becomes,  the  more  irresistible 
are  the  annals  of  its  wild  youth.  As  the  unknown  nooks  become 
more  and  more  rare,  we  grow  almost  frantic  in  our  craze  for  new  depths 
to  sound,  new  heights  to  climb. 

The  tendency  to  dwell  upon  these  romantic  episodes  must  be 
resisted,  in  order  to  fix  undivided  attention  upon  Chicago  itself.  Let 
us  simply  sketch  the  career  of  one  man,  worthy  to  be  studied  as  the 
typical  representative  of  the  best  class  of  bold,  chivalrous,  devoted, 
intelligent  explorers. 

Robert  Cavelier,  Sieur  de  La  Salle,  was  well-born,  well-bred  and 
well-educated.  Like  other  young  Europeans  whose  birth  was  greater 
than  their  means,  he  came  to  America  to  seek  his  fortune.  At  the 
same  time  the  fortune  he  craved  was  not  of  money,  but  of  rank,  place, 
fame,  honor.  He  was  ambitious  for  France,  and  tried  to  add  a  whole 
empire  to  the  realm  of  his  king. 

His  adventures  began  in  fresh  youth,  and  ended  before  middle  age. 
His  first  voyage  (in  1666,  when  he  was  twenty-three)  was  to  the  Saint 


EARLIEST  RECORDS. 


21 


Lawrence  ;  his  last  (in  1684,  when  he  was  forty-one)  was  aimed  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  which  it  failed  to  reach 

Although  bred  by  the  Jesuits,  he  became,  from  some  unknown 
cause,  opposed  by  them.  Among  the  other  trials  of  his  knightly  honor 
is  one  (recounted  in  Margry,  Vol.  I,  p.  380)  which  recalls  the  well- 
known  adventure  of  the  heroic  Joseph,  first  of  the  name.  It  is  said  to 
have  occurred  in  Montreal  on  his  first  arrival  from  France,  and  to  have 
been  brought  about  by  his  enemies  the  Jesuits,  through  the  agency  of  the  ^'sSu'edl10110' 
wife  of  one  of  the  king's  high  officials,  whose  guest  he  was,  one  Bazire, 
among  the  richest  men  of  the  place,  the  lady  herself  being  a  beautiful 
devote  of  the  "  Society  of  Jesus  "  and  high  in  its  "  Holy  Family."  She 
is  said  to  have  gone  directly  from  the  scene  of  her  failure  to  the  church, 
where  she  took  communion  without  first  eoine  to  confessional,  a  fact 
which,  as  we  may  suppose,  establishes 
beyond  question  the  assumption  that  she 
had  acted  under  ecclesiastical  orders  and 
therefore  had  no  sin  upon  her  soul. 

It  is  almost  needless  to  add  that  this 
recital  (in  the  utmost  detail)  is  furnished 
by  an  abbe  who  belonged  to  a  rival  order, 
inimical  to  the  Jesuits. 

An  impolite,  impulsive  fellow  our  hero 
was,  using  no  arts  to  mask  his  fiery 
ambition  ;  none  of  the  well-known  Napo- 
leonic devices  by  which  men  might  be 
lured  to  build  up  his  glory  in  the  delusion 
that  they  were  advancing  their  own  ends. 

A  man  like  La  Salle  makes  few  friends,  but  those  friends  are  more 
than  friends;  they  are  lovers — adorers.  He  makes  many  enemies,  and 
they  are  as  intense  in  their  hatred  as  are  the  others  in  their  love.  Tonty, 
an  Italian  soldier  of  fortune  (called  "main  de  fer,"  from  the  fact  that 
he  had  lost  a  hand  in  the  service  of  France  and  wore  a  metal  substitute), 
was  his  devoted  squire,  his  brave  right  arm,  later  his  sincere  and  unceas- 
ing mourner.  It  is  related  that  in  one  of  his  rare  cries  of  distress,  after 
some  staggering  blow,  La  Salle  said  to  Tonty,  "  Alas  !  If  I  could  only 
have  you  in  command  of  every  fort  I  build  !  " 

They  built  (1679)  in  the  Niagara  river,  the  first  of  lake  vessels, 
the  "  Griffin,"  and  sailed  herthrough  Lake  Erie,  the  Detroit  river,  Lake  «'• 
St.  Clair  and  Lake  Huron  to  Lake  Michigan,  loaded  her  with  furs  and 
started  her  homeward,  to  pay  off  La  Salle's  debts  and  provide  for  his 
future  needs — and  she  came  back  to  him  no  more.  He  never  heard  of 
her  again,  unless  a  bit  of  wreck  and  a  package  of  spoiled  furs,  which  a 


ROBERT   CAVELIER,   SIEUR    DE    LA  SALLE. 


22  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

storm  washed  up  not  far  from  Michilimackinack,  may  have  told  him  all 
that  even  tradition  has  to  say  of  her  fate. 

Building  forts,  one  named  "  Miamis"  on  the  St.  Joseph,  near  Lake 
Michigan,  and  one  at  Kaskaskia  on  the  Illinois  (the  latter  prophetic- 
ally named  "Crevecoeur" — Broken-heart),  LaSalle  divided  his  forces 
between  them,  set  out  eastward  on  a  vain  search  for  the  "  Griffin,"  and 
actually  traveled,  almost  alone,  over  snow  and  ice,  land  and  water,  all 
the  way  back  to  Montreal,  between  March  i  and  May  6,  1680. 

Here  he  instantly  made  new  arrangements  "  to  go  on  with  his 
discoveries,"  and  on  August  loth  set  out  on  his  second  expedition  ; 
only  to  find  that  the  Iroquois  had  attacked,  defeated  and  almost 
destroyed  the  Indians  friendly  to  him.  When  he  reached  "Fort 
Broken-heart"  he  saw  their  mutilated  bodies  lying  unburied  in  their 
deserted  village,  while  his  own  comrades,  including  the  faithful  Tonty, 
were  utterly  lost  to  sight  and  knowledge. 

At  Michilimackinack  he  found  Tonty  and  learned  that  Fort 
Crevecoeur  and  Fort  Miamis  had  both  been  destroyed  by  white  traitors 
°f  h's  °wn  command,  even  before  the  coming  of  the  Iroquois.  He 
heard,  also,  that  creditors  and  enemies  in  Montreal  had  conspired 
against  him,  and  stopped  his  supplies.  Eastward  again  he  sped,  arriving 
in  time  to  meet  the  traitors  of  his  own  band,  returning  loaded  with  the 
spoils  of  his  forts,  and  also  in  time  to  kill  two  of  them  and  carry  the 
rest  home  in  irons. 

"  Once  more  into  the  breach."  He  set  things  straight  and  started 
westward  again  ;  this  time  going  by  Chicago  and  the  Des  Plaines, 
whither  Tonty  had  preceded  him.  With  incredible  pluck  and  perse- 
verance he  pushed  on  down  the  Illinois  and  the  Mississippi  to  its 
mouth,  took  possession  of  the  entire  valley  in  the  name  of  France,  and 
set  out  on  his  return  ;  the  first  European  to  descend  and  ascend  the 
Father  of  Waters. 

Reaching  the  Illinois  River,  he  built  a  stockade  (Fort  St.  Louis)  on 
"The  Rock"  (Starved  Rock  near  Ottawa),  and  put  Tonty  in  command. 
Friendly  Indians  soon  began  to  gather  around  it,  and  a  large  settle- 
ment of  red  men  and  whites,  trappers  and  traders,  grew  up  there  with 
Chicago-like  rapidity.  This  was  the  climax  and  culmination  of  the 
hero's  fortunes ;  the  one  bright,  brief  season  when  his  dreams  seemed 
to  be  coming  true.  He  called  the  place  a  "terrestrial  paradise." 

A  change  of  administration  (from  Fronteuac  to  Le  Bar)  at  Montreal 
brought  an  enemy  into  power  and  stopped  our  hero  in  full  career,  by 
seizing  his  property,  cutting  off  all  supplies,  detaining  his  agents, 
encouraging  his  Indian  enemies,  the  Iroquois,  and  even  appointing 
another  commandant  for  Fort  St.  Louis  on  Starved  Rock ! 


EARLIEST  RECORDS.  2j 

The  indefatigable  man  started  at  once  for  Montreal,  thence  for 
Paris  where  the  King  and  the  great  Colbert  set  him  right;  gave  him  new 
powers,  new  ships,  men  and  supplies  and  started  him  off  once  more  in 
triumph  for  "New  France  ;"  this  time  to  strike  the  other  end  of  the  4,000- 
i.iile  line  by  entering  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and  by  that  road  re- 
joining his  beloved  Tonty  and  the  other  waiting  friends  on  the  Illinois. 

Between  the  two  voyages  he  had  traveled  every  foot  of  the  fearful 
solitude  between  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  much 
of  it  many  times  over.  He  had  spent  all  his  own  means,  all  the  money 
his  friends  would  advance  him,  all  the  treasures  his  king  placed  in  his 


charge  ;  had  fought  and  starved  and  suffered  without  a  pause  and  almost 
without  a  murmur — now  the  fruit  of  all  seemed  just  within  his  grasp. 

His  pilot  missed  the  Mississippi,  wandered  on  and  landed  in  Mata- 
gorda  Bay.  He  was  in  unfriendly  desolation,  without  path  or  guide  ;  he 
knew  not  where  to  turn  for  home,  friends  or  help  ;  he  could  not  even  find 
the  Mississippi.  He  set  out  on  a  search  for  it  and  somewhere  in  those 
dreary,  swampy  wastes — Texas,  Louisiana  or  Arkansas — he  was  killed  by 
traitors  of  his  own  band  ;  and  no  man  knows  to  this  day  the  place  of  his 
grave. 


Final  Catastro- 
phe. 


24  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

Who  does  not  feel  his  eyes  grow  moist  in  sympathy  with  the  wan- 
ing strength  of  his  weary  limbs?  The  heart  throbs  with  intense  pity  at 
the  picture.  It  is  one  of  the  most  perfect  and  complete  tragedies  in  all 
history — indeed  fiction  itself  can  invent  nothing  more  pathetic. 

As  a  bit  of  quasi  history  which  may  interest  the  few  who  are  curious  as  to  the  life  of  the  last 
two  hundred  and  twenty  five  years  in  this  region,  I  have  drawn  a  retrospective  table,  somewhat  like 
the  Old  Testament  genealogies ;  only  reversed. 

The  writer  well  knew  Gurdon  Hubbard  (1856),  who  well  knew  John  Kinzie  (1818),  who  knew 
Joseph  LeMai  (1804),  who  knew  Jean  Baptiste  Pointe  de  Sable  (1794),  who  knew  the  Chevalier 
Rocheblave  (1777),  who  knew  the  Chevalier  St.  Ange  de  Bellerive  (1765),  who  knew  Philip  Francis 
Renault  (1743),  who  knew  Pierre  Aco.(i725),  who  knew  Father  James  Gravier  (1706),  who  knew 
Tonty  the  true,  LaSalle  the  brave  and  Joliet  the  pioneer  of  us  all. 

It  is  a  short  list — a  baker's  dozen  —just  a  pleasant  dinner  party  of  thirteen.  (And  yet  a  much 
shorter  one  is  possible  ;  George  II  ,  born  1683,  died  1760 ;  his  grandson  George  III.,  born  1738,  died 
1820  ;  and  Victoria,  granddaughter  of  George  III  ,  born  1818,  still  living.) 

On  the  next  pa^e  follows  a  more  extended  chain,  identifying  each  link  and  presenting  con 
temporaneous  occurrences  elsewhere. 


LOUIS  XIV. 


CHAIN   OF   ACQUAINTANCE: 


FROM  JOLIET  TO  KINZIE  ;    FROM  THE  FINDER  OF  THE  PORTAGE  TO  THE  FOUNDER  OF  THE  CITY. 
ABBREVIATIONS  :    "  E.  G.  M.,"  Edward  G.  Mason  ;  "  K.  P.  R.,"  Kaskaskia  Parish  Records  ;  "  F.  C.  R.,"  Fort  Chartres  Records 
,'S.  J.,"  Society  of  Jesuits;  "b.,"born;  "d.,"died. 


M 

*6?3 
'673 


168. 


1699 


1695 
1687 


169311712 


1699  J 


tit} 


oliet 

Marquette,  S.  J 

LaSalle 

Tonty 

St.  Cosme 


Pierre  Aco  . . 
ravier,  S.  J. 


Marest,  S.  J 


1716 
1723 


1720 

1720 

1725 


1729 
1763 


1725  Boisbriant. 
1743  Renault.. . . 


1778 


1796 
1803 

1818 
'833 


736  d 


^rancoise  Le  Brise. 
,'Artaguiette 


729  D 


1  :•'•- 


--i 


St.  Ange  deBellerive. 
^ocheblave. 


William  Murray.. 


1890  J 


rirardot. . 
leSiette. 


j  Georpe  Rogers  Clark 

IJohnTodd 


796  Jean  Baptiste  Pointe  de  Sable. 


Joseph  Le  Mat. 
John  Kinzie. . . . 


Gurdon  Hubbard. , 
ohn  Dean  Caton  . 


French. 
French. 
French. 
French. 
French. 

Indian. 

French 

and 
Indian. 

French. 

French. 
French. 

French. 
French. 

French. 
French. 


French. 

French 

and 
English. 


English. 


English. 


French, 

English 

and 
Indian. 


French 

and 
English. 

English 

and 
Indian. 

English  and 
Indian. 

English. 


'assed  up  Illinois  river  and  down  Chicago  riverto  Lake 
Michigan. 

Wintered  on  South  Branch  near  Mud  L?.ke.  Founded 
Kaskaskia  Mission.  Died  on  Marquette  river. 

Most  distinguished  and  most  unlucky  of  explorers.  De- 
scribed Chicago  and  the  Portage.  (Margry.) 

Most  faithful  of  friends.  "Main  de  fer."  "Iron 
Hand." 

Otherwise  "Cinq  Hommes."  Mentions  a  visit  to  "the 
house  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers  at  Chicago,"  1700. 
(E.  G.  M.) 

Christian  In,!:. m.  b.  at  first  Kaskaskia;  citizen  of  sec- 
ond. (E.  G.  M.) 

At  Chicago  Sept.  8,  1700.  Kept  a  journal.  Tells  of  re- 
moval  of  Kaskaskia  fr  -m  the  Illinois  river  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi. Studied  Indian  tongue  and  wrote  a  gram- 
mar of  it. 

Moved  with  mission  from  the  Illinois  river  to  the 
Mississippi.  (K.  P.  R.) 

First  commandant  at  Fort  Chartres. 

Appointee  of  John  Law.  Director -General  in  the 
"  Mississippi  Scheme."  Owned  land  still  shown  on 
our  maps  as  belonging  to  "the  Renault  heirs."  (F. 
C.  R.) 

"Perennial  Godmother  and  occasional  Mother."  (K. 
P.  R.) 

Commandant  at  Fort  Chartres.    Tortured  to  death  by 

Indians.    A  boal-song,  with  his  name  for  chorus,  long 

heard  on  the  Mississippi. 

'rominent  in  Kaskaskia.     Cape  "  Girardeau  "  on  the 


Mississippi  probably  named  for  him.    (F.  C.  R.) 

,-,.,.     c 
lommandant.    Anxious  to  tight  the  Sacs  and  r-oxes  | 

Wrote  to  de  Lignerie,  commandant  at  Green  Bay.  St.  Louis  founded  1763. 


New  York  finally  taken 
by  England  fr^m  Hol- 
land, 1673. 

Penn  founded  Philadel- 
phia in  1680. 
eorge   II.   b.  1683 ;  d. 
1760. 

Parthenon  destroyed. 
687- 

English  National  debt 
begun,  1689. 

Saleoi  Witchcraft,  1692. 

Bank  of  England  char- 
tered, :6g4. 

Deerfield  massacre, 1703. 

B.  Franklin  b.  1706. 

Detroit  founded. 

Frederick  the  Great  b. 

Louis'xiV.d.  1715. 

New  Orleans  founded, 
i?'8. 

The  French  bring  ne- 
gro slavery  into  Illi- 
nois, 1720. 

John  Law's  Mississippi 
Scheme  ;  a  *'  boom  " 
for  Kaskaskia. 

Peter  the  Great  d.  1725. 

Isaac  Newton  d.  1727. 

George  Washington  b. 
1732. 

George  III.  b.  1738  ;  d. 
1820. 

French  fort  ress  o  f 
Louisburg  taken  by 
volunteers  from  New 
England,  1745. 

Braddock  sdefeat,  1755 

Black  Hole  of  Calcutta, 


who  replied  suggestinga  rendezvous  "atCnicagou." 
<F.C.  R.) 


Napoleon  b.  1769. 
Walter  Scott  b.  1771. 
(Bunker  Hill,  17 


Last  French  commandant  at  Fort  Chartres.  (E.  G.  AL>!  Declaration oPf  n  de- 
Officer  of  French  troops.     Fought  against  Braddock 


and  '*  Wachension "  (Washington)  in  1755.  Later, 
commander  under  the  English.  Surrendered  Kas 
kaskia  to  George  Rogers  Clark,  who  sent  him,  pris- 
oner of  war,  to  Virginia  (1779).  (E.  G.  M.) 

Made  a  purchase  from  Indians  of  an  indefinite  tract  of 
land,  including  "Chicagou,  or  Garlick  creek,*'  as  one 
of  the  boundary  points.  Claim  was  urged  before 
Congress  until  iSoi.  (Andreas'  Hist.  Chicago.) 

Clark  took  Illinois  from  the  British  for  Virginia,  and 
so  saved  Chicago  from  being  a  Canadian  village. 
Todd  kilted  in  battle  with  Indians.  (Todd  Papers 
and  E.  G,  M.,  Chicago  Historical  Society.) 

"A  handsome  negro,  well-educated,  and  settled  at 
Eschikagou,  but  much  in  the  French  interest."  (Col. 
Du  Puyster,  English  commandant  at  Fort  Mrchili- 
mackinack,  writes  thus  July  4,  1779.)  (Andreas.) 
Grignon  calls  him  "a  trader,  pretty  wealthy,  and 
drank  freely.'1  He  built  the  cabin  which  became  the 
"Kinzie  mansion." 

French  trader  with  Indians.  Bought  the  cabin  of 
Fointe  de  Sable,  which  stood  at  about  the  junction  of 
Pine  and  Kinzie  streets. 


pendence.  1776. 

Capture  of  Burgoyne, 
1777. 

Voltaire  d   1778. 

French  Alliance,  1778. 

Yorktown  taken.  1781. 

Peace  with  England, 
1782. 

London  Yinifs  started, 
1788. 

United  States  Constitu- 
tion adopted,  1789. 

French  "  Reign  of  Ter- 
ror,'" 1792. 

Lincoln  b.  1809. 

Victoria  b.  1818. 


INVENTIONS  AND  DIS- 
COVERIES. 

Steam  Engine,  1761. 
Illuminating  gas,  1792. 
Cotton  Gin,  1793. 
Steamboat,  1807. 
Friction  Match,  1829. 
Railroad,  1830. 
Photograph,  1839. 
Postage  Stamp,  1842. 
Telegraph,  1844. 

Bought  Le  Mai's  cabin  in  1804;  enlarged  and  changed  Sewing  Machine,  1846. 
it  from  time  to  time,  and  lived  there  till  his  death,  m\cZf8m*i*GoU,,B& 
1827.  Bessemer  Steel,  1858. 

Indian  trader,  and   most  distinguished  of  early  city  Petroleum.  1858. 
fathrr«  Phonograph.  1870. 

latne"'  Telephone.  1876. 

Cameto  Chicago  in  1833.    Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  \atural  Gas.  1883. 
Court  of  Illinois.      Aids  i.i  the  compilation   of  th:s  Electric  Light  and  Pow 
history.  ;     er,  1850  to  1890. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


A    SINGLE    CENTURY. 

EGRETFULLY  we  turn  our  eyes  away 
from  the  romantic  era  of  discovery,  ex- 
ploration and  poetic  narrative.  Joliet, 
Marquette,  LaSalle,  Tonty  and  Hennepin 
were  explorers  and  soldiers  or  priests, 
and  all  were  traveled  men  and  practiced 
writers.  All  were  natives  of  France,  ex- 
cept Joliet,  born  in  Quebec,  and  Tonty, 
an  Italian.  They  entered,  open-eyed  and 
expectant,  on  this  wonderland,  as  Aladdin 
into  his  palace,  or  like  favored  children 
sent  in  alone  to  the  Chi'istmas  Tree. 
The  commonplace  would  have  been  a  surprise  to  them. 

Toil,  danger,  exposure,  trial  and  privation  are  not  favorable  to 
long  life.  Rapidly  our  heroes  fade  from  sight.  Poor  Marquette 
never  recovered  his  health;  he  died  May  19,  1675,  on  the 
first  explorers,  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  beside  the  river  which  still 
bears  his  name,  and  two  years  later  a  party  of  Indians  came  up  in 
the  depth  of  winter,  exhumed  his  remains,  placed  them  carefully  in  a 
birch  bark  case,  and  carried  them  to  St.  Ignace  (north  shore  of  the 
Straits  of  Mackinaw),  where  they  were  buried  under  the  floor  of 
the  mission-house.*  La  Salle  was  murdered  by  his  own  men 
March  19,  1687.  Joliet  died  in  1700,  and  Tonty  (after  a  vain 
hunt  for  the  body  of  his  master)  in  1705,  both  far  from  the  scene 
of  those  of  their  exploits  in  which  we  are  interested ;  the  spot  which 
has  been  made  noteworthy  by  the  building  of  one  of  the  world's  half 
dozen  largest  cities.  Few  and  poor  are  the  words  they  allot  to  the  wild 
garlick  Portage,  for  they  could  not  foresee  what  has  occurred  there. 
Humanity  alone  gives  life  to  inanimate  things,  as  the  soul  vivifies 
the  body.  A  dull,  undistinguishable  field  or  hamlet  may  chance  to  be 
taken  for  a  battle-field,  and  so  become  the  Mecca  for  innumerable 
pilgrims.  When  some  sluggish  rivulets,  marshes,  woods  and  sand- 
hills, and  a  stretch  of  low  lake  shore  grow  into  the  place  of  joy  and 
sorrow,  hope  and  fear,  life  and  death,  for  thousands  or  millions,  then 

*  In  1877  Cecil  Barnes,  of  Chicago,  in  company  with  the  village  priest.  Father  Jacker,  found  this  long-lost  tomb; 
unearth'ng  some  wrought  nails,  a  hinge,  a  large  piece  of  birch  bark  anJ  two  human  bones.    (Hist.  Sac.  Doc.) 


THE  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY. 


every  yard  of  its  surface,  every  year  of  its  past,  takes  on  an  interest  of 
its  own.  If  the  people  had  never  come,  the  place  would  never  have 
emerged  from  its  obscurity.  As  it  is,  we  linger  long  and  lovingly  over 
its  beginnings,  as  we  should  do,  if  we  could,  over  a  tale  of  the  first 
stumbling  steps  and  imperfect  accents,  the  early  haps  and  mishaps, 
pleasures  and  pains  of  a  Shakespeare  or  an  Abraham  Lincoln. 

With  the  disappearance  of  the  very  first  comers,  occurs  almost  a 
hiatus  in  the  Story  of  Chicago.  The  curtain  falls,  and  for  nearly  a  cen- 
tury what  play  there  is  takes  place  behind  the  scenes.  But  a  busy  life 
was  going  on  just  below  the  southwestern  horizon,  and,  thanks  to  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society,  and  especially  to  its  latest  president,  Mr. 
Edward  Mason,  we  are  not  without  means  of  studying  it  and  construct- 
ing a  chain  of  events  and  persons,  link  by  link,  connecting  the  portage 
of  1673  with  the  metropolis  of  1890. 

Mr.  Mason  says  (Fergus'  Historical  Series,  No.  12)  : 

When  Father  Marquette  returned  from  his  adventurous  voyage  upon  the  Mississippi  in  1673, 
by  the  way  of  the  Illinois,  he  found  on  that  river  a  village  of  the  Illinois  tribe,  containing  seventy- 
four  cabins,  which  was  called  Kaskaskia. 
Its  inhabitants  received  him  well,  and  ob- 
tained from  him  a  promise  to  return  and 
instruct  them.  He  kept  that  promise 
faithfully,  undaunted  by  disease  and  toil- 
some journeys  and  inclement  weather, 
and,  after  a  rude  wintering  by  the  Chi- 
cago- river,  reached  the  Illinois  village 
again,  April  8,  1675.  The  site  of  this 
Indian  settlement  has  since  been  identi- 
fied with  the  great  meadow  south  of  the 
modern  town  of  Utica  in  the  State  of 
Illinois  and  nearly  opposite  to  the  tall 
cliff,  soon  after  known  as  Fort  St.  Louis 

and  in  later  times  as  Starved  Rock.  

RIVER  MAP. 

Marquette  started  the  mission,  and  gave  it  the  name  of  the  "  Immacu- 
late Conception  of  the  Virgin,"  doubtless  relying  on  her  divine  protec- 
tion. Nevertheless,  it  led  a  chequered  life,  for  the  terrible  Eastern 
Indians  (the  five  nations  we  knew  so  well  in  the  valleys  of  the  Mohawk 
and  theGenesee,  the  Tonawanda  and  Alleghany)  disdaining  opposition, 
human  or  divine,  came  westward  and  wiped  off  the  face  of  the  earth  the 
mission  and  almost  the  whole  tribe  of  friendly  Illinois.  It  seems  as  if 
Heaven  itself  could  not  withstand  the  devilish  Iroquois  !  It  was  after 
this  raid,  that  La  Salle,  returning  to  the  place  where  he  had  left  a  great, 
prosperous,  peaceful  settlement,  found  only  desolation  and  the  unburied 
bodies  of  the  dead. 

About  1700,  the  mission,  with  its  surviving  Indian  adherents,  moved 
down  the  Illinois  and  the  Mississippi  to  a  new  location  ;  a  river  which 
enters  the  Mississippi  some  100  miles  above  the  junction  of  the 


Kaskaskia  in 
the  North. 


28 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Ohio,  and  south  of  where  St.  Louis  now  stands.  To  this  river  and  settle- 
ment was  also  given  the  name  of  Kaskaskia,  and  confusion  has  arisen 
through  the  possession  of  the  same  name  by  places  300  miles  apart. 

Father  James  Gravier  set  out  from  Chicago  on  the  8th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1700,  for  the  Kaskaskias  on  the  Illinois,  and  found  that  village  on 
the  point  of  migrating  southward  under  Father  Marest. 

Father  Gravier  studied  the  Indian  tongue  and  reduced  to  a  system 
such  grammatical  rules  as  could  be  traced  out.  Father  Marest  has  left 


Kaskaskia  ii 
theSout'-.. 


BUFFALO  ROCK. 

us  one  of  the  rare  bits  of  real  knowledge  we  possess  regarding  the  true 
state  of  the  relations  which  existed  between  the  missionaries  and  the 
savages.  He  says : 

Our  life  is  passed  in  roaming  through  thick  forests,  in  clambering  over  the  mountains,  in 
paddling  the  canoe  across  lakes  and  rivers,  to  catch  a  single  poor  savage  who  flies  from  us  and 
whom  we  can  tame  neither  by  teachings  nor  caressings  ....  Nothing  is  more  difficult  than  the 
conversion  of  these  Indians.  It  is  a  miracle  of  the  Lord's  mercy.  (Moses'  Hist.  111.,  vol.  i,  p.  89.) 

In  1718  the  French  sent  an  expedition  under  a  Canadian  gentle- 
man named  Boisbriant,  holding  the  office  of  Commandant  of  the  Illinois, 
to  erect  a  fort  near  Kaskaskia.  The  expedition  came  by  way  of  Mobile 
and  the  Mississippi  ;  selected  a  point  16  miles  north  of  Kaskaskia, 
built  the  fort  and  named  it  Fort  Chartres,  after  a  branch  of  the  Royal 
family  of  France.  There  were  mission  and  parish  records  kept  both  of 
Kaskaskia  and  at  Fort  Chartres,  and  these  records,  or  the  perishing 
remains  of  them,  were  unearthed  and  rescued  from  rapidly  encroaching 
destruction  in  1880  by  the  enterprise  of  Mr  Mason;  and  it  is  to  the 
hints  they  contain,  supplemented  by  isolated  remarks  in  histories, 


THE  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY. 


29 


biographies  and  accounts  of  voyages  and  travels,  that  we  owe  what  we 
know  of  Chicago  and  its  surroundings  in  the  i8th  century. 

If  the  Kaskas- 
kia  Mission  had 
remained  in  its  old 
place,  only  some 
80  miles  down  the 
Illinois  Valley, 
then  our  grasp 
upon  the  two- 
branched  stream- 
let would  be  firmer 
and  more  con- 
stant. But  the 
Mission  went 
away  to  the  south- 
ward, and,  what  is 
worse,  opened 
new  and  nearer 
avenues  to  the 
sea.  Mobile  and 
New  Orleans  were 
the  most  acces- 
sible ports; 
through  them 
"John  Law's  Mis- 
sissippi Scheme" 
took  a  hand  in 
settling  the  great 
valley,  and  by  its 
aid  there  grew  up 
even  in  Kaskaskia 
and  FortChartres 
an  excitement 
which,  it  is  safe  to 
say,  was  the  very 
first  "town  lot 
boom"  in  all 

Western  America.      Most  of  us  have  heard  of  John  Law's  bubble; 
know  that  its  iridescence    shone    on  Illinois. 

Even   intercourse    with  Canada    found   an  easier  route  than    via 
Chicago.      It  was  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  Ohio,  up  the  Ohio  to  the 


FRENCH  SETTLEMENT. 


Scheme, 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Sew  road  to 
the  sea. 


THE  SCALP. 


"  Ouabache  "  (Wabash),  up  the  Wabash  to  some  point  (probably  near 
Huntington,  Ind.)  where  portage  could  be  made  to  the  head  waters  of 
the  Maumee,  down  the  latter  to  Lake  Erie  and  so  on  to  the  Niagara, 
Lake  Ontario  and  the  St.  Lawrence.  But  the  main  intercourse  with 
the  outside  world  was  by  way  of  New  Orleans,  and 
every  year  bateaux  laden  with  Illinois  staples 
floated  gaily  down  the  current,  consigned  to  John 
Law's  "  Compagnie  de  1'Occident  "  or  its  successor 
the  "  Compagnie  de  1'Inde."  Flour,  bacon,  pork, 
hides,  tallow,  wines  (highwines?),  leather,  lumber- 
how  familiar  it  sounds  !  A  hundred  and  fifty  years 
have  changed  the  direction,  destination,  manner 
and  mass  of  our  trade  but  not  the  material. 

The  Indians  were  persistently  murderous  and 
predatory.  Their  apologists  say  we  had  no  right 
to  their  lands.  Not  so.  In  the  first  place  we  had 
the  same  right  to  the  lands  that  they  had;  the  right 
of  conquest.  What  claim  had  any  tribe  to  as  much 
waste  as  they  could  roam  over  once  a  year,  except 
that  it  had  destroyed  a  weaker  tribe  and  taken  its  territory  ?  The  priority 
of  claim  at  the  moment  of  La  Salle's  arrival  was  with  the  Illinois. 
Soon  they  were  causelessly  attacked  and  ruthlessly  slaughtered  by  the 
Iroquois  ;  and  a  little  later,  for  the  very  reason  that  they  were  wounded 
and  helpless,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  fell  upon  them  and  completed  their 
ruin.  Should  we  then  look  on  the  title  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  so  law- 
lessly and  cruelly  acquired,  as  a  sacred  right,  not  to  be  disputed  even 
when  our  allies,  the  surviving  Illinois,  were  on  our  side? 

In  the  second  place,  we  had  a  kind  of  right,  which  is  above  and 
beyond  the  Indian  nature  ;  the  right  of  agricultural  employment;  the 
right  which  inheres  in  the  many  to  gain  support  on  the  best  part  of  the 
earth's  surface,  even  though  the  few  should  try  to  exclude  them  from  it. 
Indian  idleness  disdains  to  dig ;  asks  that  a  square  mile  or  more  shall 
be  allotted  to  each  savage  in  order  that  he  may,  without  labor,  live  on 
its  spontaneous  yield.  The  answer  is,  No !  He  that  will  not  work, 
neither  shall  he  eat.  The  greatest  good  of  the  great  number  shall  ore- 
vail. 

They  must  swallow  their  own  medicine.  Let  him  who  taketh  the 
sword,  perish  by  the  sword.  Suppose,  for  a  moment,  that  those  dogs 
in  the  manger  had  been  allowed  to  tear  each  other  to  pieces,  and  the 
ever-changing  victors  among  them  to  rule  and  ruin  what  they  coulu 
spoil  rather  than  use,  while  we,  the  strongest  of  all  stood  by  like  the 
patient  ass,  "respecting  their  rights  !'  Rcductio  ad  absurdum. 


E 


X 


32  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

The  records  of  distant,  isolated  Kaskaskia  throw  little  gleams  of  a 
lurid  light  on  the  state  of  things: 

In  1722,  an  entry  is  made  which  strikingly  illustrates  the  perils  which  beset  the  people  in  that 
little  village,  on  the  great  river  which  was  their  only  means  of  communication  with  the  nearest  set- 
tlements, hundreds  of  miles  away.  It  reads  as  follows:  "  The  news  comes  this  day  of  the  death  of 
Alexis  Blaye  and  Laurent  Bransart,  who  were  slain  upon  the  Mississippi  by  the  Chickasaws.  The 
day  of  their  death  is  not  known."  Then  in  a  different  ink,  as  if  written  at  another  time,  is  added 
Indian  Atroci-  below:  "  It  was  the  5th  or  6th  of  March,  1722."  And  this  state  of  things  is  sadly  emphasized  by  the 
entry  immediately  following:  "The  same  year,  on  the  22d  of  June,  was  celebrated  in  the  parish 
church  of  the  Kaskaskias,  a  solemn  service  for  the  repose  of  the  soul  of  the  lady  Michelle  Chauvin, 
wife  of  Jacques  Nepven,  merchant,  of  Montreal,  aged  about  45  years,  and  of  Jean  Michelle  Nepven, 
aged  20  years,  and  Elizabeth  Nepven,  aged  13  years,  and  Susanne  Nepven,  aged  8  years,  her  chil- 
dren. They  were  slain  by  the  savages  from  5  to  7  leagues  from  the  Wabash."  ..."  In 
1724,  the  I2th  of  April,  were  s'.ain  at  break  of  day  by  the  Fox  Indians,  four  men,  to  wit:  Pierre  Du 
Vaud,  Pierre  Bascau,  and  two  others."  (Mason's  "  Illinois  in  the  i8th  century.") 

Sad  it  is  to  confess  that  in  taking  what  we  must,  what  it  was  our 
duty  to  take,  we  have  often  been  untruthful,  unfaithful,  deceitful  and 
cruel.  But  compared  with  their  immemorial  treatment  of  each  other, 
our  deceit  has  been  spotless  candor,  our  cruelty  heavenly  mercy.  Not 
that  this  is  a  justification;  it  is  but  an  apology,  and  a  poor  one. 

In  spite  of  the  diversion  of  the  channels  of  trade,  "Chicagou" 
was  before  the  eyes  of  the  settlers.  About  1725  the  pestilent  Sacs  and 
Foxes  having  grown  bolder  and  bolder  in  their  murderous  raids,  even 
killing  settlers  close  to  Fort  Chartres ;  its  commandant,  De  Siette, 
wrote  to  De  Lignerie,  commandant  at  Green  Bay,  urging  a  combined 
attack,  whereby  the  Fox  tribe  should  be  exterminated.  De  Lignerie 
answered  saying  that  this  would  be  well,  provided  that  the  Foxes  did  not 
exterminate  us  in  the  attempt,  and  suggesting  a  meeting  for  conference 
"at  Chicagua  or  the  Rock"  (Starved  Rock  on  the  Illinois),  which 
indicates  that  there  was  a  settlement  or  trading-post  here  then.  The 
outcome  is  shown  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Mason  : 

Soon  the  French  authorities  adopted  the  views  of  the,  commandant  at  the  Illinois  (De  Siette), 

and    the    Marquis   de    Bjauharnois   (grandfather  of  the  Empress  Josephine),  then  commanding  in 

Canada,  notified    him    to   join    the  Canadian    forces   at    Green  Bay,  in  1728,  to  make  war  upon  the 

Foxes.     A  battle  ensued,  at  which  the  Illinois  Indians,  headed  by  the  French,  were  victorious.      But 

Chicatrua  for  a  hostilities   continued   until    De   Siette's  successor,  by  a   masterly  piece   of  strategy,    waylaid    and 

Rendezvous,      destroyed  so  many  of  the  persistent  foemen,  that  peace  reigned  for  a  time. 

Du  Pratz,  an  old  French  writer  (quoted  by  Andreas'  Hist.  Chicago, 
vol.  i,  p.  69),  a  resident  of  Louisiana  from  1718  to  1734,  says  of  the 
"Chicagou"  or  Illinois  route  in  1757: 

"  Such  as  come  from  Canada,  and  have  business  only  on  the  Illinois,  pass  that  way  yet ;  but 
such  as  want  to  go  directly  to  the  sea  go  down  the  Wabache  to  the  Ohio,  and  from  thence  to  the 
Mississippi."  He  predicts,  also,  that  unless  some  curious  person  shall  go  to  the  north  of  the  Illinois 
river  in  search  of  mines  "  where  they  are  said  to  be  in  great  numbers  and  very  rich,"  that  region 
"  will  not  soon  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  French." 

Well,  the  lead  deposits  of  Galena  and  the  coal  at  La  Salle  were 
searched  for  and  exploited,  and,  for  these  reasons  and  others,  it  happens 
that  the  Chicago  portage  is  not  lost  sight  of  even  to  this  day. 


THE  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY.  jj 

It  is  well  for  our  sympathetic  hearts  that  the  curtain  of  oblivion, 
shutting  out  this  epoch,  is  almost  impenetrable.  Even  so,  we  can  see 
and  hear  quite  enough — the  glare  of  burning  cottages,  the  sharp  crack 
of  the  rine,  the.  twang  of  the  bow-string,  the  savage  war-cry,  "  Hu-hu-hu- 
hu  !"  *  of  the  Indian  ;  the  shriek  upon  shriek  of  the  tortured  victim  ;  the 
swaggering  "  brave  "  flaunting  fresh,  bloody  scalps  covered  with  the  gray 
hair  of  old  age ;  the  long,  soft  lock  of  woman  ;  the  short,  silky  curls  of  the 
child,  new  born,  or  unborn.  The  thought  of  these  things  makes  us  glad 
that  the  i8th  century  is  past  and  that  we  are  not  in  it  or  of  it. 

The  royal  game  of  war  went  on  in  Europe  and  the  cards  ran 
against  France.  So  it  chanced  that  Canada  and  the  Illinois  country, 
thrown  into  the  jack-pot,  passed  to  the  English  gfamester.  In  KaskaskiaEngiishsu 

J  _  &  6  French. 

lived  one  Chevalier  de  Rocheblave  ;  an  officer  in  the  French  army  who 
fought  against  Braddock  and  "Monsieur  Wachenston,"  in  1755.  He 
was  part  of  the  force  of  Louis  XV.,  surrendered  with  Fort  Chartres,  in 
1765,  and  later  (1778),  appeared  as  commander  under  George  III.  to 
surrender  Kaskaskia  to  a  greater  George,  George  Rogers  Clark  ;  a 
soldier  of  the  nation  of  the  greatest  George  who  ever  lived,  George 
Washington,  as  will  appear  in  the  next  chapter. 

*  Judge  Caton  describes  the  war-whoop  as  a  shrill,  unearthly,  falsetto  yell,  broken  by  rapid  blows  of  the  open  hand 
upon  the  open  mouth. 


COLBERT,  THE  GREAT  FRENCH  MINISTER. 


Red  Coat,  1812. 


England's 
savage Ames. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ILLINOIS  AND   CHICAGO  DURING   THE 
REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 

ETROIT,  founded  early  in  the  last  century 
and  ceded  to  England  in  1763,  was  the 
headquarters  of  her  alliance  with  the 
Indians  against  us  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution. 

Vain  is  it  for  English  historians 
to  treat  lightly  that  infamous  alliance. 
Did  she  know  their  nature  and  their 
manner  of  warfare  ?  Yes ;  Lieut.  Gov. 
Abbott  (English)  wrote  to  Gen.  Carle- 
ton  (English)  against  their  employ- 
ment. Did  she  engage  them  to  fight  ?  Surely  :  She  had  no 
other  use  for  them.  Then  to  fight  whom  ?  Civilized  warfare  is 
waged  solely  against  armed  forces  ;  where  was  the  armed  force  against 
which  these  savages  were  to  act  ?  Gates,  Schuyler  and  Arnold  at  Sar- 
atoga ?  Washington  on  the  Delaware?  Marion  in  the  Carolinas? 
Absurd  !  The  nearest  of  these  was  800  miles  away.  The  royal  orders 
were  "to  drive  back  the  settlers  across  the  Alleghanies."  (Roosevelt, 
Vol.  II,  p.  5.)  But  why  drive  back  the  settlers  if  they  were,  as  Britain 
claimed,  British  subjects?  And  what  does  the  driving  back  of  settlers 
by  savages  mean? 
Carnage! 

The  English  commandant  at  Detroit  was  Colonel  Henry  Hamil- 
ton, Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  Northwestern  region,  which  included 
all  the  British  possessions  outside  of  the  Colonies  and  of  Canada ;  in 
other  words,  from  the  Ohio  river  to  Lake  Superior.  Hamilton,  who  was 
nicknamed  bythe  "buckskins"(  frontiersmen),  the  "  hair-buyer  general," 
avers  that  he  did  all  that  he  could  to  induce  the  Indians  to  bring  in  pris- 
oners instead  of  scalps,  but  he  does  not  pretend  that  he  succeeded. 
Scalps  were  certainly  publicly  bought  and  sold  in  Detroit  while  he  com- 
manded the  red-coats  and  their  worthy  allies,  the  red-skins,  and  the 
Haldimand  mss.  tell  of  his  receiving  scalps  with  solemnity  at  the  coun- 
cils held  to  greet  the  war  parties  when  they  returned  from  successful 
raids.* 

*A  tale  is  preserved  of  one  savage  swindler  who,  by  dividing  a  large  scalp  into  two,  got  »so  aoiece  for  them. 


ILLINOIS  AND  CHICAGO  DURING  THE  REVOLUTION.         jj 

Red  death  marked  their  pathway.  In  case  of  defeat,  happy  was 
the  man  who  fell  and  died;  woeful  the  fate  of  him  who  was  captured  alive. 
Colonel  William  Crawford,  who  commanded  an  unsuccessful  expedi- 
tion against  the  British  and  Indians,  was  tortured  slowly  to  death  in  the 
presence  of  one  fellow  prisoner  and  one  white  man  (Simon  Girty)  who 
was  an  officer  commanding  the  Indians  for  the  English.  These  men 
describe  poor  Crawford's  death — heaven  forbid  that  we  should  even 
copy  the  description. 

Roosevelt  says: 

The  captured  women  and  little  ones  were  driven  far  off  exterior.     The  weak  among  them,  the 
young  children  and  the  women  heavy  with  child,  were  tomahawked    and    scalped   as  soon    as    their 
steps  faltered.     The  able  bodied,  who  could  stand  the  terrible  fatigue  and  reached  the  journey's  end,  (jm2je  an<j 
suffered  various  fates.     Some  were  burned  at  the  stake,  others  were  sold  to   the    French   or   British     Clybourne 
traders  and  long  afterwards  made  their  escape  or  were  ransomed  by  their  relatives.     Still  others  were 
kept  in  the  Indian  camps,  the  women  becoming  the  slaves  or  wives  of  the  warriors,    while   the    chil- 
dren were  adopted  into  the  tribe  and  grew  up  precisely  like  their  little  redskinned  playmates.* 

It  happens  that  we  of  Chicago  have  some  direct  connections  with 
one  of  these  Indian  massacres  and  captivities.  To  quote  Andreas' 
History  of  Chicago  (Vol.  I,  p.  73): 

Isaac  McKinzie  and  his  family  were  living  in  Giles  County,  Virginia,  near  the  Kanawha 
River.  A  band  of  Shawnees  from  Ohio,  in  one  of  their  hostile  incursions,  attacked  his  cabin,  which 
they  destroyed,  and  murdered  all  his  family  except  his  two  daughters — Margaret,  a  little  girl  of  ten, 
and  Elizabeth,  two  years  younger.  The  girls  were  carried  captive  to  the  great  village  of  the  tribe  at 
Chillicothe,  where  they  were  kept  in  charge  of  the  chief.  After  about  ten  years  of  captivity  they 
were  taken,  or  found  their  way,  to  Detroit.  Margaret  becanr.e  the  wife  of  John  Kinzie  and  the 
mother  of  his  three  elder  children,  William,  James  and  Elizabeth.  .  .  .  Elizabeth  subsequently  mar- 
ried Jonas  Clybourne,  of  Virginia,  the  fruit  of  this  union  being  two  sons.  Archibald  and  Henley.  .  .  . 
Archibald  Clybourne  reached  Chicago,  August  5,  1823. 

Descendants  of  both  the  captive  girls  are  still  among  us  and  we 
shall  have  occasion  to  speak  of  them  in  due  course.  In  the  meantime 
"  Kinzie  street  "  and  "  Clybourne  avenue  "  may  keep  us  in  mind  of  this 
link  connecting  us  with  the  days  of  Indian  war,  massacre  and  captivity. 

One  word  more  concerning  the  connection  between  civilized  Eng- 
land and  the  savage  tribes.  Such  an  alliance  is  more  than  wicked  ;  it  is 
unmanly,  unsoldierly,  cowardly  in  its  employment  of  others  to  do  cow- 
ardly acts.  It  should  be  classed  with  poisoning  the  enemies'  drinking 
water,  firing  hot  shot  at  their  hospital,  or  hanging  the  bearer  of  their 
flag  of  truce.  No  more  disgraceful  story  can  be  found  in  English  his- 
tory from  its  first  page  to  its  latest,  even  including  the  spoliation  of  India 
and  the  "opium  war"  with  China. 

Turn  we  from  this  matter,  which  makes  us  ashamed  of  our  lineage, 
to  a  pleasanter,  more  honorable  and  more  distinguished  and  important 
narrative ;  the  story  of  one  of  our  real  home-born  heroes,  George 

*  Occasionally  we  come  across  records  of  the  women's  afterward  making  theirescape.  Very  rarely  they  took  their 
half-breed  babies  with  them.  De  Haas  mentions  one  such  case  where  the  husband,  though  he  received  his  wife  well_ 
always  hated  the  copper-colored  addition  to  his  family.  The  latter,  by  the  way,  grew  up  a  thoroughbred  Indian,  could 
not  be  educated,  and  finally  ran  away,  joined  the  Revolutionary  army  and  was  never  heard  of  afterwards. 


j6  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

Rogers  Clark,    after   whom   our  great    thoroughfare,    Claik  street,  is 
named,  a  fact  unknown  to  many  Chicagoans  of  all  ages. 

Clark,  Daniel  Boone,  John  Todd  and  others  like  them,  were  the 
first  settlers  of  Kentucky  and  wrested  that  garden  of  the  earth  from  the 

human  wild-cats  that  had  made  it 
their  fighting-ground  from  time  im- 
memorial. Needless  to  say  that  they 
hated  everything  Indian  with  a  holy 
hatred.  Clark  seems  to  have  had 
the  most  ambition,  the  most  patriot- 
ism and  the  broadest  grasp  of  mind 
of  any  of  these  bold  Kentuckians. 
The  others  were  content  to  defend 
themselves  and  their  fire-sides  from 
the  lurking  foe ;  he  looked  outward 
.and  planned  achievements  of  wider 

From  "Cyclopedia  of  United  State.  Hl.tory.-'-Copytinht.  SCOpC      and     of      TCSultS      which      W6      3rC 

18«l,  by  Harper  *  Brother!. 

DANIEL  BOONE.  enjoying  to-day. 

In  1778  Clark  traveled  all  the  way  from  Kentucky  to  the  James 
River,  to  lay  before  Patrick  Henry,  Virginia's  first  governor,  a  plan  for 
seizing  Fort  Chartres,  Kaskaskia,  Vincennes  and  perhaps  Detroit  itself, 
and  so  adding  to  Virginia  all  the  country  northwest  of  the  Ohio.  He 
told  of  the  outrages  of  the  Indians  under  English  influence,  and  prom- 
Kemuckians  jn  ised  the  sympathy  and  support  of  the  Kentuckians  and  other  settlers 
who  still  survived,  all  embittered  to  the  last  extent  and  all  good  fighters. 
He  added  that  the  Kaskaskia  settlement,  being  French,  was  surrounded 
by  friendly  Indians.*  Also  that  among  the  French  themselves  we 
should  find  a  most  friendly  feeling,  especially  when  they  should  be 
apprised  of  the  alliance  with  France  just  then  accomplished  by 
Franklin. 

Virginia  gave  Clark  arms,  ammunition  and  supplies,  a  commission 
as  colonel,  and  leave  to  recruit  men  where  he  could.  She  also  gave 
John  Todd,  of  Kentucky,  the  appointment  of  "County  Lieutenant,  or 
Commandant  of  theCounty  of  Illinois,"  and  a  letter  of  instructions  under 
Patrick  Henry's  own  hand,  as  we  shall  see  hereafter. 

Clark  made  the  long  tramp  across  the  Alleghanies,  down  the 
Monongahela  and  the  Ohio,  at  the  Falls  whereof  (Louisville)  he  paused 
to  perfect  his  arrangements.  Then  he  started  once  more  down  the  river, 
but  quitted  it  before  reaching  the  Mississippi,  knowing  that  the  enemy 

*  The  savages,  though  always  treacherous,  never  felt  the  ferocity  against  the  French  which  they  cherished  towards 
the  rest  of  the  pale  faces  They  murdered  many  a  "  robe  noir  "—black-coat,  alias  Jesuit— but  not  every  one  they  could  lay 
their  hands  on. 


ILLINOIS  AND  CHICAGO  DURING  THE  REVOLUTION.          37 

would  be  on  his  guard  on  that  side.  He  landed  at  old  Fort  Massac 
(then  deserted),  and  struck  across  the  woods  and  prairies  of  southern 
Illinois,  arriving  on  the  Kaskaskia  River,  three  miles  above  the  town,  on 
July  4,  1778.  To  quote  Roosevelt  again  : 

They  kept  in  the  woods  till  it  grew  dark  and  then  silently  marched  to  a  little  farm  a  mile  from 
lh-.  town.  The  family  were  taken  prisoners,  and  from  them  it  was  learned  that  the  townspeople 

wer^  then  off  their  guard Rocheblave,  the  Creole  commandant,  was  sincerely  attached 

to  the  British  interest He  had  under  his  orders  two  or  three  times  as  many  men  as 

Clark,  and  he  certainly  would  have  made  a  good  fight  if  he  had  not  been  surprised.  It  was  only 
Clark's  audacity  and  the  noiseless  speed  of  h!s  movements  that  gave  him  a  chance  of  success.  .  . 

Inside  the  fort  the  lights  were  lit,  and  through  the  windows  came  the  sound  of  violins.  The 
officers  of  the  post  had  given  a  ball,  and  the  mirth-loving  Creoles,  young  men  and  girls,  were  dancing 

and  reveiing  within,  while  the  sentinels  had  left  their  posts Advancing  into  the  great 

hall  where  the  revel  was  held,  Clark  leaned  silently,  with  folded  arms,  against  the  door-post,  looking 
at  the  dancers.  An  Indian  lying  on  the  floor  of  the  entry  gazed  intently  on  the  stranger's  face  as  the 
light  from  the  torches  within  flashed  across  it,  and  suddenly  sprang  to  his  feel,  uttering  the  unearthly 
warwhoop,  "Hu — hu — hu — hu!"  Instantly  the  dancing  ceased;  the  women  screamed,  while  the  men 
ran  toward  the  door.  But  Clark,  standing  unmoved  and  with  unchanged  face,  grimly  bade  them 
continue  their  dancing,  but  to  remember  that  they  now  danced  under  Virginia  and  not  Great 
Britain. 

This  picturesque  and  dramatic  scene  is  told  as  taken  down  from 
the  lips  of  Clark  himself,  some  ten  years  or  so  after  the  event. 

The  simple  Kaskaskians  had  been  taught  to  dread  the  "  buckskins" 
as  rather  more  terrible  than  the  redskins  themselves,  and  Clark  pur- 
posely left  them  that  whole  night  in  their  terror  and  confusion,  while  he 
took  captive  Rocheblave  and  all  his  forces.  Next  morning  a  deputation 
of  the  chief  men  waited  on  Clark,  only  daring  to  beg  for  their  lives, 
which  they  did,  says  Clark,  "with  the  greatest  servancy  [saying],  that 
they  were  willing  to  be  slaves  to  save  their  families."  They  were  vastly 
relieved  to  find  their  captors  soldiers  and  gentlemen,  bringing  not  slav- 
ery, slaughter  and  spoliation,  but  freedom  and  citizenship  to  all  who 
would  accept  it. 

Doubtless  the  Catholic  church  had  been  closed  during  the  Eng- 
lish rule,  and  when  Clark  told  the  priest  (Gibault),  in  answer  to  his 
question,  that  "  An  American  commander  had  nothing  to  do  with  any 
church  except  to  save  it  from  insult,  and  that  by  the  laws  of  the  Republic 
his  religion  had  as  great  privileges  as  any  other,"  the  volatile  Creoles 
"returned  in  noisy  joy  to  their  families,  while  the  priest, a  man  of  ability 
and  influence,  became  thenceforth  a  devoted  and  effective  champion  of 
the  American  cause." — (Roosevelt.) 

The  news,  through  Clark,  of  the  alliance  between  France  and 
America,  and  the  enthusiastic  advocacy  of  Clark's  new  friends,  soon 
converted  Cahokia;  and  Pere  Gibault  volunteered  to  go  to  Vincennes, 
on  the  Wabash,  to  get  his  fellow-Frenchmen  to  join  the  Americans, 
their  natural  allies.  No  sooner  said  than  done;  on  August  i,  1778,  he 
returned  with  the  news  that  the  entire  population  gathered  in  the  church 


•Go  on  wiih  your  dancing,"  said  Clark,   "but  remember—"  faftJ7. 


ILLINOIS  AND  CHICAGO  DURING   THE  REVOLUTION.         39 

to  hear  him  had  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  that  the  American 
flag-  floated  over  the  fort. 

But  where,  meanwhile,  are  Hamilton  and  his  forces? 

Encouraged  by  the  great  and  wicked  success  of  his  war-parties,  he 
had  planned  an  attack  on  Fort  Pitt  (Pittsburgh),  but  the  startling  news 
of  Clark's  seizure  of  his  own  outposts  put  an  end  to  all  thoughts  of  seiz- 
ing ours.  He  must  retake  Vincennes,  first,  to  interpose  between  Clark 
and  his  base  in  Virginia.  From  Vincennes  he  could  easily  sally  forth 
against  the  presumptuous  Clark  and  wipe  him  out.  The  Indians  must 
all  be  aroused  to  fresh  scalp-hunting.  Even  distant  Mackinaw  and  St. 
Joseph,  on  Lake  Michigan,  were  notified  to  incite  the  lake  Indians  to 
harass  the  Illinois  country. 

Now  for  a  glimpse  of  Chicago. 

At  this  time  (1778)  and  for  some  years  before,  Jean  Baptiste 
Point  de  Saible  was  living  on  the  Chicago  river  at  a  point  now  covered 
by  Kirk's  huge  soap  factory;  close  to  the  corner  of  Pine  and  Kinzie 
streets.  Of  him  Colonel  Arent  Schuyler  De  Puyster,  commandant 
at  Mackinaw,  writes  (July  4,  1779):  "Baptiste  Point  de  Saible,  a  hand- 
some negro,  well  settled  at  'Eschikagou,  but  much  in  the  French  inter- 
est." Elsewhere  in  his  volume  of  "  Miscellanies"  De  Puyster  writes  :Cnicago  from 

1778  to  1794. 

"  Eschikagou  is  a  river  and  fort  at  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan."  Point 
de  Saible  was  a  Haytien  mulatto  who,  with  a  friend  named  Glamorgan, 
came  north  and  lived  with  the  Peoria  Indians  up  to  about  1779,  when 
he  came  to  his  Chicago  home.  Andreas  (Hist.  Chicago,  Vol.  i,  p.  71) 
says:  "  Here  he  lived  until  i  796 — seventeen  years.  All  that  is  known 
of  his  life  during  that  long  period  is  gathered  from  the  'Recollections' 
of  Augustin  Grignon,  of  Butte  des  Morts,  near  Oshkosh,  and  published 
in  the  third  volume  of  the  Wisconsin  Historical  Society's  collections." 
Mr.  Grignon  says: 

At  a  very  early  period  there  was  a  negro  lived  there  (Chicago)  named  Baptiste  Point  de  Saible. 
My  brother,  Perish  Grignon,  visted  Chicago  about  1794,  and  told  me  that  Point  de  Saible  was  a  large 
man  ;  that  he  had  a  commission  (or  some  office,  but  for  what  particular  office  I  can  not  now  recollect. 
He  was  a  trader,  pretty  wealthy,  and  drank  freely.  I  know  not  what  became  of  him. 

About  all  that  can  be  added  to  the  few  particulars  related  above  is 
that  in  1796  he  sold  his  cabin  to  one  Le  Mai,  a  French  trader  and 
returned  to  Peoria,  where  he  died  at  the  home  of  his  old  friend  Glamor- 
gan. 

This  cabin  Le  Mai  sold  to  John  Kinzie  in  1804.  So  do  we  touch 
home  once  more  after  one  century  and  a  quarter  of  wanderings. 

Point  de  Saible's  trading-post  was  necessarily  one  of  the  settle- 
ments Hamilton  ordered  to  be  harried.  Indeed  the  Haldimand  mss.* 

*Sir  Frederick  Haldimand  succeeded  Sir  Guy  Carleton  as  Governor  of  Canada  in  1778.  He  is  best  known  as  Gen- 
era] Hal  Hmand.  H's  papers  were  presented  to  the  British  Museum  in  1857  by  his  grand-nephew  William  Haldimand; 
and  copies  are  now  in  the  Canadian  Archives  at  Ottawa. 


40  ,  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

speak  of  an  effort  made  at  about  this  time  to  prevent  a  settlement  at 
Chicago.  But  Point  de  Saible  seems  bravely  or  cunningly  to  have 
stood  his  ground  and  to  have  out-stayed  the  harassers.  A  favorite  old- 
time  Chicago  joke  is  that  her  first  white  inhabitant  was  a  black  man. 
At  least  he  was  not  a  scalper,  nor  the  ally  of  scalpers,  as  we  see  by  De 
Puyster's  unfriendly  allusion. 

Now,  in  September,  1778,  Hamilton,  "  hairbuyer-general,"  and  his 
red  hair-lifters,  begin  their  grand  task  of  exterminating  George  Rogers 
Clark  and  the  "  buckskins."  The  first  step  is  the  recovery  of  Vincennes. 
See  the  conquering  hero  comes  ! 

He  led  the  main  body  in  person,  and  throughout  September  every  soul  in  Detroit  was  busy 
from  morning  till  night  in  mending  boats,  baking  biscuit,  packing  provisions  in  kegs  and  bags,  pre- 
paring artillery  stores  and  in  every  way  making  ready  for  the  expedition  Fifteen  large  bateaux 
and  pirogues  were  procured  ;  these  were  to  carry  the  ammunition,  food,  clothing,  tents,  and  espe- 
cially the  presents  for  the  Indians.  Cattle  and  wheels  were  sent  ahead  to  the  most  important  port- 
ages on  the  route  to  be  traversed  ;  a  six  pounder  gun  was  also  forwarded.  (Roosevelt.) 

Thanks,    Colonel    Hamilton  ;  you    were    unconsciously    bringing 

Colonel  Clark  just  the  things  he  needed.     To  be  sure,  your  force  oust- 

nurrtbered  ours  three  to  one,  for  you  had  a  herd  of  Indians  on  your  side, 

but,  on  the  other  hand,  on  our  side  were  Clark  and  the  "  Buckskins,"  as 

Hamilton  takesY011  shortly  found  out,  to  your  cost. 

The  trip  was  uneventful  ;  but  one  little  circumstance  crops  out  in 
the  narrative  worth  remarking.  Their  course  was  down  the  Detroit 
river,  across  Lake  Erie,  and  into  the  Maumee  river  at  its  mouth 
(Toledo),  then  up  the  Maumee  until  within  nine  miles  of  the  head 
waters  of  navigation  on  the  Wabash — about  Huntington,  Ind.  Roose- 
velt quotes  Hamilton's  '•  Brief  Account"  as  follows: 

This  stream  was  so  low  that  the  boats  could  not  have  gone  down  it  had  it  not  been  for  a  beaver 
dam  four  miles  below  the  landing,  which  backed  up  the  current.  A  passage  was  cut  through  the 
dam  to  let  the  boats  pass.  The  traders  and  Indians  thoroughly  appreciated  the  help  given  them  at 

this  difficult  part  of  the  course  by  the  engineering  skill  of  the  beavers and  none  of  the 

beavers  of  this  particular  dam  were  ever  molested,  being  left  to  keep  their  dam  in  order  and  repair 
It,  which  they  always  speedily  did  whenever  it  was  damaged 

Vincennes  fell  into  Hamilton's  hands,  without  a  fight,  just  seventy- 
one  days  after  he  left  Detroit,  being  only  defended  by  the  local  Creole 
militia.  His  spies  brought  him  word  that  Clark  had  only  1 10  men  under 
him.  Had  the  commanders  been  reversed,  the  larger  force  would  have 
hurried  on  to  Kaskaskia  and  captured  the  smaller  in  short  order.  But  the 
way  was  long,  the  country  flooded  and  the  winter  severe.  Besides,  as 
Hamilton  was  firmly  established  between  Clark  and  his  home  base,  why 
should  he  not,  instead  of  climbing  the  thorny  tree,  wait  till  the  fruit 
should  fall  ?  He  intended  to  make  a  grand  campaign  in  the  spring.  He 
would  rouse  the  Southern  Indians,  the  bloody  Chickasaws,  Cherokees 
and  Creeks;  and  he  himself,  re-inforced  from  Detroit,  would  take  the 


ILLINOIS  A.VD  C dIC AGO  DURING  THE  REVOLUTION.          41 


field  with  1,000  men,  re-conquer  Illinois,  sweep  Kentucky  and  destroy 
all  settlements  west  of  the  Alleghanies — perhaps  take  Fort  Pitt  itself! 
But  his  "  spring"  never  came.  Clark  made  a  spring  of  his  own — a 
tiger  spring.  He  had  had  no  reinforcements  or  supplies,  nor  so  much  as 
"a  scrip  of  the  pen"  from  Virginia  since  he  left  Governor  Henry  a  year 
before;  nor  did  he  need  any.  On  February  7,  17/9,  he  marched  out  of 
Kaskaskia  at  the  head  of  a  Spartan  band  of  1 70  men,  to  travel  across 
the  snowy  wastes,  the  dismal  forests,  the  half-frozen  floods,  240  miles  to 
surprise  a  fort  held  by  the  enemy's  chief  commander,  with  infantry, 
artillery  and  abundant  supplies.  The  buckskins  had  no  tents,  but  passed 
the  nights  around  huge  camp-fires,  where  they  feasted  on  the  game  they 
had  killed  during  the  day;  on  bear's  ham,  buffalo  hump,  elk-saddle,  venison 
haunch,  wild  turkey  breast,  etc.*  This  was  not  bad;  but  when  they  came  to 
the  flooded  lands  of  the  Little  Wabash,  their  trials  were  fearful.  The  two 
branches  of  the  stream  were  now  in  one,  five  miles  wide,  and  three  feet 
deep  in  the  shallowest  part  of  the  plains  over  which  they  flowed.  Clark 
built  a  pirogue,  and  on  they  waded,  ferrying  where  the  stream  was  over 

,ii  -i  rr    i  i  ill!  ii.  Clark's  Winter 

chin-deep.  He  built  a  scanold  to  hold  the  baggage  and  the  weaklings  March. 
who  gave  out,  until  he  could  send  back 
the  pirogue  to  go  on  with  the  job 
of  ferrying  them  over.  On  the  1 7th 
they  reached  the  Embarras  [our  "Am- 
bro"],  but  could  not  cross,  nor  could 
they  find  a  dry  spot  on  which  to  camp. 
At  last  they  found  the  water  falling  off 
a  small,  almost  submerged  hillock,  and 
on  this  they  huddled  through  the 
night.  At  day-break  they  heard  Hamil- 
ton's morning  gun  from  the  fort. 
They  did  not  dare  to  fire  a  shot  for 
fear  of  warning  the  enemy  of  their 
coming,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
2Oth  the  men  had  been  without  food  for 

nearly  two  days,  "drenched,  weary  and  dispirited."  They  captured  a 
small  boat  with  five  Frenchmen,  and  learned  the  welcome  news  that  no 
suspicions  had  been  aroused  at  the  fort.  In  the  evening  they  killed  a 
deer — just  in  time.  On  the  2ist,  in  a  continual  rain,  they  ferried  across 
the  Wabash.  The  captured  Frenchmen  said  they  could  not  possibly 
proceed,  but  Clark  led  the  way  in  person  for  about  three  miles,  the 
water  often  up  to  their  chins,  and  camped  on  a  hillock  for  the  night. 
Another  day  of  similar  struggle,  "  the  strongest  wading  painfully 

*  Everywhere  in  the  early  French  narratives  (see  Margry,  etc.)  there  occurs  mention  of  the  Wild  turkey;  " faulct 
tfittdt"  as  they  called  them,  and  "  dindon"  is  French  for  turkey  to  this  day. 


From  "  Cyclopedia  of  United  State*  Hist-try. "—Copyright, 
1,1-1.  by   Harrwr  A   Hrntber*. 

GEO.    ROGERS    CLARK. 


42  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

through  the  water,  the  weak  and  famished  in  the  canoes."  A  journal 
(whereof  a  copy  is  still  in  existence)  ends,  "  No  provisions  yet.  Lord  help 
us  !"  Heavy  frost  that  night,  ice  forming  an  inch  thick.  "  But  the  sun 
rose  bright  and  glorious,  and  Clark,  in  burning  words,  told  his  stiffened, 
famishing,  half-frozen  followers  that  the  evening  would  surely  see  them 
at  the  goal  of  their  hopes.  Without  waiting  for  an  answer  he  plunged 
into  the  water  and  they  followed  him,  with  a  cheer,  in  Indian  file.  On  a 
spot  of  dry  land,  the  strong  and  tall  get  ashore,  build  great  fires  and  go 
back  for  the  exhausted;  and  a  captured  Indian  canoe  "manned"  by 
three  squaws,  gives  them  half  a  quarter  of  buffalo,  with  some  corn, 
tallow  and  kettles; — just  in  time  again! 

Finally  they  came  to  a  copse  of  timber  from  which  they  saw  the 
town  and  fort  not  two  miles  off !  Clark,  with  characteristic  courage  and 
decision,  determined  to  summon  the  town,  so  he  sent  a  letter  to  the 
people  of  Vincennes  by  a  stray  French  citizen  whom  they  caught  out 
shooting  ducks.  The  French  Creoles  took  Clark's  proclamation  and 
discussed  it  eagerly,  but  did  not  warn  the  garrison.  Clark  marched 
into  the  place  at  seven  in  the  evening,  and  the  firing  began  at  once. 
Then,  as  soon  as  the  moon  set,  Clark  had  an  entrenchment  thrown  up 
anduke?ts  within  rifle  shot  of  the  strongest  battery,  and  as  soon  as  dawn  made  the 
guns  visible,  sharp-shooters  made  them  indefensible.  He  summoned 
the  fort  at  noon,  using  the  time  of  truce  to  get  breakfast,  the  first  reg- 
ular meal  they  had  had  for  six  days.  Hamilton  declined  to  surrender, 
and  the  firing  began  again,  the  backwoods  men  vainly  beseeching  Clark 
to  let  them  storm  the  fort.  During  the  fray  a  party  of  Hamilton's 
Indians  returned  to  the  town  from  a  successful  scalping  expedition, 
whereupon  the  "  buckskins"  fell  upon  them  and  killed  or  captured  nine; 
and  Clark,  to  strike  terror  to  the  besieged  and  to  express  his  views  of 
the  scalping  business,  had  six  of  the  miscreants  led  out  in  view  of  the 
fort,  tomahawked  and  thrown  into  the  river. 

In  the  afternoon  the  fort  surrendered.  Hamilton  and  the  rest  of 
the  officers  were  sent  to  Virginia  as  prisoners  of  war,  the  others  were 
paroled,  the  spoils  of  war  amounting  to  tens  of  thousands  of  pounds 
sterling  were  distributed  among  the  soldiers,  who  "got  almost  rich,"  and 
Vincennes,  Kaskaskia  and  all  the  lands  so  acquired  have  been  ours 
from  that  day  to  this. 

That  was  the  winter  passed  by  Washington  and  his  Continentals  at 
Valley  Forge  with  so  much  fortitude,  suffering  and  loss.  An  enthu- 
siast has  said  that  Valley  Forge  was  child's  play  compared  with  the  cap- 
ture of  Vincennes,  and  surely  he  was  not  without  reasonable  grounds  for 
his  belief.  At  any  rate  we  Westerners  should  never  beat  a  loss  to  know 


ILLINOIS  AND  CHICAGO  DURING  THE  REVOLUTION. 


43 


"Why    Clark    street — Clark   County — Clarksville  ?      What  Clark    do 
they  refer  to  ?  " 

George    Rogers  Clark,    sometimes   called  "  The  American  Hanni- 

&  O 

bal,"  was  a  natural  frontier  fighter,  like  Standish,  Boone,  Marion,  Todd, 
Kenton,  John   Brown  and  a  thousand   others  whose  names  are  passing 


VALLEY    FORGE. 

or  passed  away.  They  were  men  bred  by  their  dangers  to  be  fearless,  by 
their  privations  to  be  stoical,  by  their  toils  to  be  tireless  and  by  their 
sacrifices  to  be  patriotic.  Coming  of  the  world's  most  aggressive  race, 
they  were  shaped  by  hard  environments  into  the  sharpest  form. 

Clark's  later  days  were  embittered  by  what  he  considered  unjust 
treatment  on  the  part  of  Virginia  and  the  United  States.  He  had  had 
certain  large  land  grants  made  to  him,  and  claimed,  besides,  reimburse- 

»  11  TT'*'ii/n\  ill       Anecdote  about 

ments  for  certain  outlays  and  losses.  Virginia  had  (i  782)  ceded  the 
Northwest  territory  (now  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wis- 
consin) to  the  United  States,  and  averred,  with  seeming  reason,  that 
Clark's  claims  should  be  paid  by  the  party  that  profited  by  his  services. 
The  General  Government  took  the  opposite  view,  and  between  the  two 
stools  the  claimant  fell  to  the  ground — or  at  least  was  never  satisfied  in 
full. 

The  legislature  of  Virginia  voted  a  sword  of  honor  to  Clark  and 
commissioners  were  appointed  to  present  it.  It  is  related  (probably 
with  truth)  that  on  being  apprised  of  their  approach  the  old  veteran,  in 
full  regimentals,  limped  out  (he  had  a  wound  in  the  hip)  and  took  a 
stately  position  on  his  grounds  fronting  the  Ohio.  He  heard  their 
presentation  address,  grasped  the  sword,  drew  it  from  the  scabbard, 


44  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

stuck  the  point  in  the  ground,  shivered  the  blade  and  threw  the  hilt  afar 
into  the  river,  saying:  "  What  I  want  from  Virginia  is  not  compliments, 
but  justice.  Go  back  to  them  that  sent  you  and  tell  them  I 
said  so."* 

It  is  scarcely  going  too  far  to  say  that  it  is  to  George  R.  Clark  we 
owe  the  fact  that  we  are  to-day  other  than  a  Canadian  city.  If  Hamil- 
ton's territory  had  remained  inviolate,  what  plea  could  our  Commission- 
ers at  the  treaty  of  Versailles  have  made  for  the  Detroit  river  as  a 
boundary  ? 

A  century  of  gratitude  makes  dim  the  faults  of  a  benefactor. 
To-day  we  do  not  ask  whether  George  Rogers  Clark  passed  his  later 
years  in  drink  and  the  breaking  of  most  of  the  ten  commandments. 
We  remember  his  benefactions ;  and  as  to  his  failings — well,  we  wish 
either  that  he  had  been  not  quite  so  blamable  or  his  judges  not  quite  so 
critical  (we  do  not  care  much  which),  so  that  he  might  have  lived  with- 
out disappointment  and  died  without  bitterness. 

John  Todd,  Clark's  fellow-soldier  at  Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes,  and 
later,  by  Governor  Patrick  Henry's  warrant,  "County  Lieutenant  or 
Commandant  of  the  County  of  Illinois,"  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  the 
Blue  Licks,  Kentucky,  fought  by  Todd,  Daniel  Boone,  Thomas  Mar- 
T(Gove?norflrst shall  (father  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall),  and  their  brother  Kentuckians, 
against  a  superior  force  of  Indians.  Says  an  eye-witness:  "When  last 
seen  he  was  reeling  in  his  saddle  while  the  blood  gushed  in  profusion 
from  his  wounds." 

Patrick  Henry's  commission  and  long  letter  of  instructions  to  Todd 
were  written  on  the  first  five  pages  of  a  blank  book  which  was  dispatched 
by  a  trusty  messenger  who  carried  it  from  Williamsburg,  then  capital  of 
Virginia,  across  the  Alleghanies  to  Fort  Pitt,  and  thence  down  the  Ohio 
till  it  found  Todd,  probably  at  Vincennes  just  after  its  capture  by  Clark 
and  the  rest.  Todd  kept  the  precious  book  and  used  the  unwritten  part 
of  it  to  record  his  proceedings  as  Governor,  his  trials  and  troubles,  his 
doings  and  dealings. 

Should  not  such  a  volume,  however  old  and  worn,  be  interesting  to 
every  Chicagoan  ?  Should  he  not  look  at  it  with  a  thrill  of  respect  for  its 
venerable  pages  and  of  gratitude  to  the  great  souls  of  i  776  ? 

All  who  answer  "  Yes"  to  these  questions  can  testify  to  their  inter- 
est, and  secure  to  themselves  a  keen  delight  by  simply  calling  at  the 

«  George  Rogers  Clark  left  no  children.  His  brother  William  was  the  man  who  explored  the  way  to  Oregon  in 
1804  in  what  is  known  as  "  The  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition."  William's  grandson,  Charles  Jeffers  in  Cl  irk.  ii  a  frontiers- 
man, as  becomes  his  ancestry  (but  with  the  modern  improvement  of  a  scientific  education)  and  is  a  frequent  and  welcome 
visiior  in  Chicago.  He  confirms  the  sword  stjry  regarding  his  grand-uncle,  but  insists  on  a  slight  modification  as  to 
the  destruction  of  the  sword,  for  he  says  t^e  weapon,  unbroken,  has  descended  to  his  own  possession. 


ILLINOIS  AND  CHICAGO  DURING   THE  REVOLUTION.          45 

rooms  of  the  Historical  Society,  corner  of  Dearborn  avenue  and  Ontario 
street,  where  the  very  book  itself  is  in  keeping,  and  where  Judge  Moses, 
the  custodian,  is  proud  to  display  it,  together  with  thousands  of  other 
relics  and  mementoes  of  the  great  days  past  but  not  forgotten. 


GEORGE    THIRD. 


The  Wa 
land0" 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    DAWN    OF    THE    DAY    WE    LIVE    IN. 

i AND  speculation  began  early  George 
Washington,  while  Colonial  Surveyor  for 
Virginia,  made  notes  of  desirable  tracts 
and  devoted  his  earnings  to  their  pur- 
chase, to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned ;  thus  laying  the  foundations  of 
his  fine  fortune,  that  wealth  which  enabled 
him  to  serve  his  country  without  pay,  as 
he  did  all  through  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Another  kind  of  speculation  was  the 
purchase,  or  attempted  purchase,  from 
the  Indians,  of  unsurveyed  lands.  Thomas  Lee,  Lawrence  and  Augus- 
tine Washington  (relatives  of  George)  and  others  formed  the  "Ohio 
Company,"  which  aimed  to  get  control  of  a  large  tract  south  of  the 
Ohio  river,  in  the  Kanawha  valley  region,  now  part  of  West  Virginia. 


^i^^M^H^^^^B^ 

From  "  C'yHop».1i*  of  United  StttM  History." — Copyright, 
1881,  by  Harper  A   Hrothen. 


•  -""\W-     ^^ 

From  "Cyclopedia  of  UmKil  SUM  HUtory."— Copyright. 
IStil.by  Harp«r  A  Brother*. 


LAWRENCE    WASHINGTON.  WILLIAM  AUGUSTINE  WASHINGTON. 

Still  another  case  was  that  of  the  grant  applied  for  (1772)  by  Thomas 
VValpole,  Benjamin  Franklin  and  others  for  land  for  which  ten  thousand 
four  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  were  paid  to  the  Six  Nations  Indians 
under  the  Fort  Stanwix  Treaty. 

16 


THE  DA  WN  OF  THE  DA  Y  WE  LIVE  IN.  47 

All  these  glittering  plans  were  crushed  by  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  the  investors  lost  largely. 

Even  the  far  West,  our  own  present  habitation,  was  the  scene  of  a 
great  and  determined  effort  to  secure  control  of  lands,  wherein  Chicago 
was  included.  Two  companies  were  formed,  one  "The  Illinois  Land 
Company"  and  the  other  "  The  Wabash  Land  Company,"  both  devised 
and  attempted  at  Kaskaskia  by  one  William  Murray,  a  name  which,  if 
its  owner  had  succeeded,  would  be  the  leading  entry  in  all  the  tens  of 
thousands  of  "Abstracts  of  Title  "  with  which  Chicago  lawyers  and  real 
estate  men  are  so  familiar. 

William  Murray  was  one  of  the  English  who  came  to  Kaskaskia 
after  the  surrender  of  the  country  by  France  to  England  in  1765.  In 
1 773  he  formed  "  The  Illinois  Land  Company  "  and  for  that  company 
held  a  council  with  all  the  Indians  he  could  muster  at  Kaskaskia;  the 
proceedings  of  which  are  reported  in  a  pamphlet  (now  in  our  Historical 
Society),  published  in  Philadelphia  in  1796.  He  gave  the  Indians  a 
long  list  of  goods  and  chattels*  and  took  from  them  their  signature  to 
a  document  pretending  to  describe  and  convey  a  tract  by  metes  and 
bounds  which  were  really  a  lot  of  fictitious  lines  between  points, 
some  real  and  some  imaginary,  which  lines  after  all  inclosed  nothing. 
Our  only  interest  in  this  so-called  purchase  lies  in  the  fact  that  one  of 
the  real  points  named  in  the  boundary  was  "  Chicagou  or  Garlick  WilliamMurra 
Creek."  He  and  his  successors  pressed  this  claim  before  Congress  per-  trchic'a"Kobuy 
sistently  until  it  was  finally  rejected  in  1801;  the  ground  then  held  and 
ever  since  maintained  being: 

Deeds  obtained  by  private  persons  from  the  Indians,  without  any  antecedent  authority,  or 
subsequent  information  [confirmation?]  from  the  government,  could  not  vest  in  the  grantees  men- 
tioned in  such  deed  any  title  to  the  lands  therein  described. 

So  it  all  failed  and  the  promoters  are  heard  of  no  more.  William 
Murray,  first  of  Chicago  real  estate  agents,  met  the  fate  which  has  since 
overtaken  many  another  who  made  the  mistake  of  "biting  off  more  than 
he  could  chew." 

Failing  to  find  our  earliest  city-father  in  Murray,  we  seek  elsewhere. 
Looking  the  records  over,  we  conclude  that  Jean  Baptiste  Pointe  de Chicago's  erst 
Saible  (already  named)  must  hold  the  ronor  of  exercising  the  earliest 
ownership  which  is  kept  up  continuously  to  our  own  time ;  holding  it, 
however,  by  allodial,  not  feudal  tenure ;  that  is  to  say,  by  right  of  the 
plow  and  not  by  right  of  purchase  from  the  lord  of  the  manor  or  holder 
of  eminent  domain;  in  our  case  Virginia  up  to  1784  and  the  United 
States  from  that  time  to  the  present. 

*  Here  is  the  curious  list:  "  250  blankets;  250  strouds  [a  thick  kind  of  cloth];  250  pairs  of  stroud  and  half-thick 
stockings;  150  stroud  breech-cloths;  500  pounds  cf  gunpowder;  4,000  pounds  of.  lead;  one  gross  of  knives;  30  pounds  of 
vermilion;  2,000  gun  flints;  200  piunds  of  brass  kettles;  200  pounds  of  tobacco;  3  dozen  pill  looking-classes;  .... 
10,000  pounds  of  flour;  500  bushels  of  Indian  corn;  u  horses;  12  horned  cattle;  20  bushels  of  salt;  20  guns  and  five  shil- 
lings in  money." 


48  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

Another  man  was  here  during  a  part  if  not  the  whole  of  Jean 
Baptiste's  occupancy;  one  Guarie,  whose  trading  cabin  was  on  the  west 
side  of  the  North  Branch,  near  the  forks.  Guarie's  holding  was  also 
allodial,  and  when  the  late  Gurdon  Hubbard  came  here  in  1818  the 
remains  of  the  corn-hills  cultivated  by  him  were  still  visible.  Moreover, 
and  Guane.  Mr.  Hubbard  testifies  that  the  North  Branch  went  by  the  name  of 
"  River  Guarie,"  just  as  the  South  Branch  was  called  "Portage  River," 
even  down  to  1800. 

Other  traders  were  then  here,  however,  though  the  place  was  of  far 
less  importance  than  St.  Joseph,  Mich.  A  St.  Joseph  trader,  named 
Burnett,  speaks  of  it  casually  in  letters  written  in  1790,  1791  and  1798. 
In  1791  he  gives  this  suggestive  bit  of  "local  color."  "The  Pottawat- 
omies  at  Chicago  have  killed  a  Frenchman  about  twenty  days  ago. 
They  say  there  is  plenty  of  Frenchmen."  * 

Pointe  de  Saible,  Le  Mai  and  Guarie  have  disappeared  and  left  no 
sign.  Not  so  another  Frenchman  who  was  for  a  time  their  contempo- 
rary— Antoine  Ouillemette.  Major  Whistler  found  him  here  when  he 
arrived  in  1803  to  build  the  first  Fort  Dearborn.  Ouillemette  remained 
Amoine  ouiiie- here  and  hereabouts  for  the  next  thirty  years,  and  was  the  only  white 
'  inhabitant  during  the  four  years  following  the  massacre  of  1812.  He 
lived  about  the  Fort  until  1829,  with  his  wife,  a  Pottawatomie  ;  when 
he  obtained,  through  her,  a  reservation  at  Gross  Point  (Evanston), 
which  he  cultivated  until  1835,  at  which  time  he  moved  with  the  tribe 
to  Council  Bluffs.  The  fine  suburb  "Wilmette"  perpetuates  his  name 
and  marks  the  place  which  he  fenced  and  cultivated. 

In  1784  Virginia  ceded  to  the  United  States  her  rights  over  the 
territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  river,  and  in  1787  the  celebrated  ordi- 
nance was  passed  by  Congress  whereby  the  territorial  government  was 
organized,  and  certain  articles  were  adopted  to  be  "  considered  as  arti- 
cles of  compact  between  the  original  states  and  the  people  and  states  in 
the  said  territory,  forever  to  remain  unalterable  unless  by  common 

consent." 

Among  other  things  the  following  principles  were  announced: 
Freedom  of  opinion  in  matters  of  religion;  right  to  the  writ  of  Habeas 
Corpus  and  trial  by  jury;  proportionate  representation  ;  judicial  pro- 
ceedings according  to  the  common  law;  bail  except  for  capital  offenses 
where  proof  shall  be  evident  or  presumption  great;  no  cruel  or  unusual 
punishments. 

"  No  man  shall  be  deprived  of  his  liberty  or  property  but  by  the  judgment  of  his  peers  or  the 
law  of  the  land,"  and  should  the  public  exigencies  make  it  necessary  for  the  common  preservation  to 
take  any  person's  property,  or  to  demand  his  particular  services,  full  compensation  shall  be  made 
for  the  same. 

*  For  further  details,  extremely  interesting,  concerning  the  "dark  hour  before  the  dawn"  of  Chicago,  see 
Captain  Andreas' mastcily  history,  3  vols.  8vo.  published  by  himself  in  1884.  Also  the  excellent  "  Fergus'  Historical 
Series." 


THE   DA  WN  OF  THE  DA  Y  IV  E  LIVE   IN.  49 

Schools  should  forever  be  encouraged.  Good  faith  should  be 
observed  toward  the  Indians,  and  their  lands  and  property  never  be  taken 
except  by  their  consent.  Congress  alone  should  dispose  of  the  public 
lands.  Non-resident  proprietors  should  not  be  taxed  higher  than  resi-  ordinance  of 
dents.  Navigable  waters  should  be  common  highways  and  forever  free. 
The  boundaries  of  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Ohio  were  fixed. 

Then  followed  the  immortal  clause,  big  with  fate,  which  has  shaped 
our  destiny  and  must  influence  it  forever. 

There  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  in  the  said  territory,  otherwise  than 
in  the  punishment  for  crime  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted;  provided  always, 
that  any  person  escaping  into  the  same,  from  whom  labor  or  service  is  lawfully  claimed  in  any  one 
of  the  original  states,  such  fugitive  may  be  lawfully  reclaimed  and  conveyed  to  the  person  claiming 
his  or  her  labor  as  aforesaid. 

So  vital  and  far-reaching  have  been  the  consequences  of  this 
clause  in  our  organic  law,  that  it  seems  appropriate  to  reproduce, 
with  Judge  Moses'  consent,  a  fac-simile  of  the  original,  in  the  hand 
of  Nathan  Dane.  (Moses1  Hist.  111.) 


So  far,  so  good.  Here  was  our  paper  title  ;  but  more  was  needed 
to  make  a  full  title  by  possession  and  occupation  ;  that  was  yet  to  cost 
a  lone  struo-ale  and  many  battles.  The  next  step  was  the  treaty  of 

o  Q^  J  •  1  /~* 

Greenville,  Ohio,  with  twelve  Indian  tribes,  concluded  in  1/95,  by  Gen- 
eral Wayne  ("Mad  Anthony"),  who  had  before  this  inflicted  crushing 
defeats  upon  them.  By  this  treaty  the  Indians,  for  their  southeastern 


SO  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

boundary,  accepted  a  line  running  from  where  Cleveland  stands  now  to 
a  point  on  the  Ohio  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky.  They  also 

ceded  several  isolated  bits  for  trading 
posts,  among  others,  "  One  piece  of 
land,  six  miles  square,  at  the  mouth 
of  Chicago  river,  emptying  into  the 
southwestern  end  of  Lake  Michigan, 
where  a  fort  formerly  stood."  One 
of  the  many  signers  of  this  treaty  was 
"Little  Turtle"  ("  Meshekunnogh- 
quoh"),*  whose  son-in-law,  Captain 
William  Wells,  was  among  the 
killed  at  the  Fort  Dearborn  massacre 
of  1812. 

This  treaty  is   the    first    official 
recognition    given    by    the     United 

••c^iop^.ofumie^st.^Hi.torj-."-^^^!  States     government    to    the     name 

GEO.  ANTHONY  WAYNE.  ••  Chicago,"f  and  it  is  pursuant  to  this 

cession  of  land  that  Captain  John  Whistler  was  sent  here  nine  years 
later  (1803)  with  a  company  of  soldiers  to  build  a  fort,  Old  Fort  Dear- 
born, which  was  burned  after  the  massacre  of  1812. 

captain  John  Captain  Whistler  had  an  eventful  life.     He  was  a  British  soldier 

under  General  Burgoyne,  and  was  included  in  the  surrender  of  the 
invading  army  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga.  Most  of  the  prisoners  of  war 
taken  then  were  marched  to  Boston,  where  they  were  held  as  prisoners 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  Of  him,  Captain  Andreas  says  : 

After  the  war  he  married  and  settled  in  Hagerstown,  Md.,  where  his  son  William  was  born. 
He  enlisted  in  the  American  army  and  took  part  in  the  Northwestern  Indian  war,  serving  under  St. 
Clair  and  afterward  under  Wayne.  He  was  speedily  promoted,  rising  through  the  lower  grades  to 
a  lieutenancy  in  1792,  and  became  a  captain  in  1797.  He  rebuilt  th^  fort  in  1815  [after  the  massacre 
and  destruction  of  1812]  and  removed  to  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  in  1817.  In  1818  he  was  military  store- 
keeper at  St.  Louis,  and  died  at  Bellefontaine,  Mo.,  in  1827.  He  was  a  brave  and  efficient  officer, 
and  became  the  progenitor  of  a  line  of  brave  and  efficient  soldiers. 

His  son,  George  Whistler,  was  with  Captain  John  when  the  family 
came  to  Chicago,  being  then  three  years  old.  This  is  the  Major 
Whistler  who  became  a  distinguished  engineer  in  the  service  of 
Russia.  Another  son,  Lieutenant  William  Whistler,  with  his  young  wife 
(Julia  Person^),  came  to  Chicago  with  Captain  Whistler.  He  will  be 

'This  Indian  name,  like  most  others,  is  variously  spelled  by  different  authorities. 

+  General  Dearborn,  in  his  letter  to  General  Wilkinson  ordering  the  construction  of  the  fort,  spells  the  word 
"  Chikago." 

*  This  Mrs.  Whistler  was  horn  in  Salem,  Mass.,  July  3,  1787.  Her  maiden  name  was  Julia  Ferson,  and  her  parents 
were  John  and  Mary  (La  Duke)  Ferson.  In  childhood  she  removed  with  her  parents  to  Detroit,  where  she  received  most 
of  her  education.  In  May.  1802,  she  was  married  to  William  Whistler  (born  in  Hafferstown,  Md.,  about  17^1),  a  second 
lieutenant  in  the  company  of  his  father.  Captain  John  Whistler,  U.  S.  A.,  then  stationed  at  Detroit.  (Fergus1  Historical 
Series,  Xo.  16.) 


THE  DA  WN  OF  THE  DA  Y  WE  LIVE  IN. 


mentioned  later  as  one  of  the  last  commandants  of  Fort  Dearborn,  hold- 
ing that  post  until  1833.    He  lived  until  1863  ;  his  wife  lived  to  be  ninety  juiia Person 
years  old,  dying  at  Newport,  Ky.(  in  1878.   She  visited  Chicago  in  1875, 
when  (at  eighty-seven)  her  mind  and  memory  were  of  the  brightest ;  and 
conversation  with  her  on 
old    matters  was    a   rare 
pleasure.       Mrs.  General 
Philip    Sheridan    is     her 
grand-neice  and  cherishes 
her  relationship  as  a  patent 
to  high  ran  kin  our  Chicago 
nobility.     No  portrait  of 
John  Whistler  is    known 
to  exist. 

A  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  thischarmingold 
lady  was  born  in  1818,  and 
named  Gwenthlean.  She 
was  married  at  Fort  Dear- 
born, in  1834,  to  Robert 
A.  Kinzie,  second  son  of 
John  Kinzie  the  pioneer. 
Mrs.  Gwenthlean  Kinzie 
is  now  living  in  Chicago, 
and  has  been  consulted 
in  the  preparation  of  this 
narrative.* 

To  return  to  the  first  Chicago  fort.  John  Wentworth,  in  his  his- 
torical sketch  of  Fort  Dearborn  (Fergus'  Historical  Series,  No.  16), 
delivered  on  the  occasion  of  the  unveiling  of  the  Tablet  in  the  wall  of 
Hoyt's  wholesale  grocery  store  (south  end  of  Rush  street  bridge), 
quotes  Mrs.  Julia  Whistler  as  follows,  regarding  the  settlement  in  1803  : 

The  United  States  schooner  Tracy  ...  on  arriving  at  Chicago,  anchored  half  a  mile  from  the 
shore,  discharging  her  freight  from  boats.  Some  2000  Indians  visited  the  locality  while  the  vessel 
was  here,  being  attracted  by  so  unusual  an  occurrence  as  the  appearance  in  these  waters  of  "a  big 
canoe  with  wings."  There  were  then  here  but  four  rude  huts,  or  traders'  cabins,  occupied  by  white 
men,  Canadian  French  with  Indian  wives.  .  .  There  was  not  at  that  time,  within  hundreds  of  miles, 
a  team  of  horses,  or  oxen  ;  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  soldiers  had  to  don  the  harness  and  with  the 
aid  of  ropes,  drag  home  t'.ie  needed  timbers.  .  .  Col.  William  Whistler's  height,  at  maturity,  was 
six  feet  and  two  inches,  and  his  weight  at  one  time  was  260  pounds. 

*  On  mentioning  to  Judge  Caton  that  Mrs.  Robert  A.  Kinzie  was  again  living  here  after  a  long  absence,  the  vener- 
able Chief- Justice,  after  a  moment's  thought,  said:  '*Yes!  I  remember  the  marriage,  and  that  the  britle  was  one  of  the 
rost  beautiful  women  you  can  imagine.  I  have  never  seen  her  since  that  time.  Ladies  were  nut  plentiful  in  this  part  of 
the  world  then,  and  we  were  not  over-particular  about  looks,  but  Gwenthlean  Whistler  Kinzie  would  be  noted  for  beauty 
anywhere,  at  any  time."  And  on  loo'.:in-j  at  the  lady  herself  one  can  well  believe  all  that  can  be  said  in  praise  of  her 
charms  in  her  girlish  years — 16  when  she  was  married.  (A  portrait  of  Mrs.  Kinzie  is  given  further  on.) 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Old  Rush  Strr 
Rope  Ferry. 


One  of  the  four  cabins  was  the  log  house  so  long  held  by  Jean 
Baptiste  Pointe  de  Saible,  sold  by  him  to  Le  Mai  and  during  this  same 
year  bought  by  John  Kinzie.  Another  was  the  Guarie  house  on  the 

West  side.  The  third 
was  a  cabin  near  the 
Fort  occupied  by  Ouille- 
mette,  and  the  fourth 
was  held  by  one  Pettell, 
of  which  and  of  whom 
.only the  name  survives. 
The  old  fort  (1803- 
4)  covered  about  the 
same  ground  as  that 
occupied  by  the  new 
(1816),  built  after  the 
massacre  of  1812.  The 
block  house  of  the  latter 
stood  at  the  southwest 
angle  of  the  fortified 
inclosure.  Therefore,  to 
"locate  "  both  the  forts, 
one  must  stand  with 
his  back  to  the  Tablet 
in  the  wall  of  Messrs. 
Hoyt&Co.'s  warehouse 
andlooknortheastward. 
He  will  perceive  at  once 
that  the  river  has  been  widened  and  that  in  cutting  away  the  southern 
bank  a  large  part  of  the  old  fort  ground  has  disappeared;  for  the  south 
end  of  Rush  street  bridge  is  now  somewhere  near  the  middle  of  the  space 
formerly  inclosed.  Here  is  where  the  old  "rope  ferry"  was  established 
about  1837  and  maintained  even  down  to  1857 — a  rope  stretched  across 
the  river,  lying  on  the  bottom  when  a  tug  or  vessel  passed,  raised  out  of 
water  by  a  windlass  and  made  the  guide  of  a  flat  boat  which  plied 
back  and  forth  in  a  slow  and  dignified  fashion.  Thousands  of  Chica- 
goans  still  living  remember  the  poor  device  ;  and  when  they  see  the 
surging  crowd  of  wayfarers  and  vehicles  that  now  speed  to  and  fro 
over  the  splendid,  four-track,  iron,  steam  swing-bridge,  they  smile  at 
the  recollection  of  the  barge  they  used  to  pull  across  with  their  own 
hands,  seizing  the  rope  and  walking  the  length  of  the  barge  to  push 
it  forward.* 

*  In  1857  a  passing  vessel  ran  down  the  rope  while  a  barge-load  of  passengers  was  crossing  and  several  were  drowned. 
This  put  an  end  to  the  ferry,  and  a  bridge  was  built— net  such  an  one  as  the  present,  but  a  wooden  structure,  high  enough 
to  allow  lugs  and  small  craft  to  pass  under. 


MRS.  WILLIAM  WHISTLER. 


THE  DA  WN  OF  THE  DA  Y  WE  LIVE  IN.  jj 

From  1804  to  1811,  the  characteristic  traits  of  this  isolated  corner 
of  earth  were  its  isolation  ;  the  garrison  within  the  stockade  and  the 
ever-present  cloud  of  savages  outside,  half  seen,  half  trusted,  half 
feared ;  its  long  summers  (sometimes  hot  and  sometimes  hotter),  and 


FT.  DEARBORN,  1803-4.    (Fergus1  Series,  No.  16.) 

its  long  winters  (sometimes  cold  and  sometimes  colder) ;  its  plenitude 
of  the  mere  necessaries  of  life,  meat  and  drink,  shelter  and  fuel,  and  its 
destitution  of  all  luxuries  ;  its  leisurely  industry  and  humble  prosperity  ; 
Kinzie.the  garrison  sutler,  Indian  trader,  silver-smith  and  fiddler,  vying 
with  the  regular  Government  agent  in  the  purchase  of  pelts  and  the  sale  from  18 
of  rude  Indian  goods.  In  1805  Charles  Jouett  was  the  United  States 
Indian  Agent  here.  How  much  of  his  time  was  spent  here  and  how 
much  elsewhere  we  do  not  know.  He  resigned  the  post  in  1811  and 
was  re-appointed  in  1817,  after  the  re-building  of  the  fort.  It  is  proba- 
ble that  the  United  States'  agent  was  at  a  disadvantage  in  dealing  with 
the  Indians,  as  he  would  have  to  obey  the  law  forbidding  the  supplying 
them  with  spirits;  wnich  law  the  other  traders  practically  ignored. 

Then  there  was  the  occasional  birth  of  a  baby  in  the  Kinzie  house, 
the  fort  or  somewhere  about,  as  there  were  several  women  here  ;  soldiers' 
wives,  etc.  Those  born  in  the  Kinzie  mansion  and  in  the  officers'  families 
we  know  about.*  But  these  were  not  all.  There  were  at  least  a  dozen 
little  ones  who  first  saw  the  light  in  this  locality,  whose  play-ground 
was  the  parade  and  river-bank,  whose  merry  voices  must  have  added  a 
human  sweetness  to  this  savage  place,  whose  entire  identity,  even  to 
their  very  names,  is  lost.  The  one  thing  we  know  of  them  is  when 
and  how  they  died,  and  that  will  appear  later  on. 

These  quiet  vicissitudes  and  calm  excitements  were  about  all  the 
news  which  even  a  newspaper  reporter — if  there  had  been  one — could 
have  conjured  up  in  the  reign  of  quietude. 

»  Ellen  Marion  Kinzie  (l-ter  Mrs.  Alex.  Wolcott)  was  born  in  December,  1805;  Maria  Indiana  Kinzie,  (later 
Mrs.  David  Hunter),  in  1807  ;  Robert  Allen  Kinzie,  February  8,  1810.  John  Harris  Kinzie  had  been  born  at  Sandwich, 
Canada,  July  7,  1803.  Two  children  were  a'.so  born  to  Lieutenant  William  Whistler,  who  came  to  the  Post  with  his 
young  bride  in  1804.  One  was  John  Harrison  Whistler,  born  in  the  fort  October  7.  1807.  The  other  was  also  a  son,  who 
died  young.  The  daughter,  Gwenthlean,  was  born  at  another  station  in  1818. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Ill  1812  the  peaceful  quiet  was  rudely  startled,  then  threatened, 
then  destroyed. 

The  first  breach  of  the  peace  was  the  killing,  by  Mr.  Kinzie  (in 
self-defense),  of  one  John  Lalime,  Indian  interpreter  at  Fort  Dearborn. 
This  was  early  in  1812.  It  had,  however,  nothing  to  do  with  the 
friendliness  or  enmity  of  the  red-men. 

The  second  event  was  of  a  different  kind.  A  man  named  Lee, 
who  lived  on  the  Lake  Shore  near  the  fort,  had  inclosed  and  was 
farming  apiece  of  land  on  the  north-west  side  of  the  South  Branch  within 
the  present  "lumber  district,"  about  half-way  between  Halsted  street 
and  Ashland  avenue.  It  was  first  known  as  "  Lee's  Place,"  afterward 
as  "  Hardscrabble."  It  was  occupied  by  one  Liberty  White  with  two 
other  men  and  a  boy.  To  quote  Mrs.  Kinzie  (Wau-Bun,  p.  205): 

In  the  afternoon  [April  6,  1812]  a  party  of  ten  or  twelve  Indians,  dressed  and  painted,  arrived 
at  the  Lee  house,  and,  according  to  their  custom,  entered  and  seated  themselves  without  ceremony. 
Something  in  their  appearance  and  manner  excited  the  suspicions  of  one  of  the  family,  a  French- 
man [Debou],  who  remarked  :  "  I  don't  like  the  looks  of  these  Indians—  they  are  none  of  our  folks. 

*  *  *  They  are  not  Pottawatomies."  Another  of  the 
family,  a  discharged  soldier,  said  to  the  boy  [a  son  of  Mr. 
Lee]:  "  If  that  is  the  case,  we  had  better  get  away,  if  we 
can.  Say  nothing  but  do  as  you  see  me  do." 

As  the  afternoon  was  far  advanced,  the  soldier  walked 
leisurely  towards  the  two  canoes  tied  near  the  bank.  The 
Indians  asked  where  he  was  going.  He  pointed  to  the 
cattle  which  were  standing  among  the  haystacks  on 
the  opposite  bank  and  made  signs  that  they  must  go 
and  fodder  them  and  then  they  would  return  and  get  their 
supper. 

He   got  into  one  canoe  and  the   boy    into   the    other. 
When  they  gained  the  opposite  side  they  pulled 
some    hay   for  the  cattle     ....     and  when  they    had 
gradually    made  a  circuit  so  that  their   movements  were 
concealed  by  the  haystacks,  they  took  to  the  woods  and 
made  for  the  fort      They  had  run  a  quarter  of  a  mile  when 
they  heard  the  discharge  of  two  guns  successively. 
They  stopped  not  nor  stayed  until   they  arrived  opposite 
Burns'  place  [North  State  and  Kinzie  streets],  where  they 
called  across  to  warn    the  family  of  the   danger,  and  then 
hastened  on  to  the  fort.     .     .     .     A  party  of  soldiers,  consisting  of  a  corporal  and  six  men,  had    that 
afternoon  obtained  leave  to  go  up  the  river  to  fish.     They  had  not  returned  when  the  fugitives  from 
Lee's  place  arrived   at  the  fort.     .     .     .     The  commanding  officer  ordered   a  cannon  to  be  fired  to 
Double  Murder  warn  them  of  their  danger.     Hearing  the  signal  they  took  the  hint,  put  out  their  torches  and  dropped 
scrabble.         down  the  river  toward  the  garrison,  as  silently  as    possible.     It  will  be  remembered   that  the  battle 
of  Tippecanoe,  the  preceding  November,  had  rendered   every  man  vigilant,  and  the    slightest  alarm 
was   an  admonition  to  "  beware  of  the  Indians." 

When  the  fishing  party  reached  Lee's  place  it  was  proposed  to  stop  and  warn  the  inmates. 
All  was  still  as  death  around  the  house.  They  groped  their  way  along,  and  as  the  corporal 
jumped  over  the  small  enclosure  he  placed  his  hand  on  the  dead  body  of  a  man.  By  the  sense  of 
touch  he  soon  ascertained  that  the  head  was  without  a  scalp  and  was  otherwise  mutilated.  The 
faithful  dog  of  the  murdered  man  stood  guarding  the  remains  of  his  master.  They  retreated  to  their 
canoes  and  reached  the  fort  unmolested  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  The  next  morning  a  party 
of  citizens  and  soldiers  volunteered  to  go  to  Lee's  place.  .  .  The  body  of  Mr.  White  was  found 
pierced  by  two  balls  and  with  eleven  stabs  in  the  breast.  The  Frenchman  lay  dead,  with  his  dog  still 
beside  him. 


THE  DA  WN  OF  THE  DA  Y  WE  LIVE   IN. 


55 


Here  we  pause  on  the  eve  of  the  darkest  day  in  Chicago's  infancy. 
The  unspeakable  Indian  is  all  about  her,  destitute,  drunken,  lazy,  greedy, 
cruel,  treacherous.  Her  own  citizens  have  been  industrious,  temperate, 
economical  and  thrifty,  and  so  have  got  stores  of  good  things,  food  and 
clothing,  flocks  and  herds,  houses  and  furniture.  He  has  remained  in 
poverty  in  spite  of  his  bounties,  they  have  prospered  without  any.  War 
has  been  declared  between  England  and  the  United  States — now  is  the 
time  to  follow  the  counsels  of  Tecumseh  and  his  brother,  the  Prophet; 
to  be  rich  with  the  palefaces'  possessions — now  for  the  war-dance,  the 
scalp-dance,  the  war-path,  the  war-whoop.  Hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu !!! 


From  "Cyrlowpdift  of  L'utWd  States  Histnrv."— CopyriRbl- 
1881,  b-    Hiiro  *  Rmthrn. 

TECUMSEH. 


From  "  Cyclops-ilia  of  United  SUt«»  History."— Copyright, 
1881,  by  Harper  A  Brother*. 

THE  PROPHET. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Trouble  far 
away. 


Trouble  close 
at  hand. 


THE   CLOUD,    CONE-SHAPED    AND 
COPPER-COLORED. 

ATURDAY,  August  9,  1812,  was  a  stirring 
day  at  the  lonely  little  hamlet.  In  the 
great  world  things  had  been  happening 
about  which  far-away  Chicago  knew  little 
and  cared  less.  What  had  she  to  do  with 
Napoleon's  European  System,  British 
"orders  in  council"  or  the  American  Em- 
bargo? France  forbade  American  ships 
to  trade  with  any  other  European  state; 
England  forbade  them  to  trade  with 
France,  and  the  United  States  retaliated 
by  forbidding  her  ships  to  sail  from  her 
ports  for  either  nation — yet  the  Indians  went  on  bringing  furs  to  Kinzie's 
store  and  taking  out  Kinzie's  merchandise  without  let  or  hindrance.  In- 
solent Britain  asserted  and  maintained  a  right  of  search  for  her  deserters 
on  all  ships  bearing  the  American  flag;  even  attacking  and  defeating  (by 
surprise)  an  American  frigate  (the  Chesapeake),  with  one  of  her  own 
(the  Leopard),  on  the  high  seas,  and  taking  off  some  of  the  alleged  sub- 
jects of  His  Majesty,  George  Third — yet  the  canoes  paddled  freely  up 
and  down  the  Chicago,  the  Guarie  and  Portage.  Why  should  Chicago 
care  for  what  might  be  doing  on  the  Atlantic  or  its  shores,  by  George 
Third,  George  Prince  Regent,  George  Canning,  or  James  Madison? 
What  had  she  to  do  with  them  or  they  with  her?  Wait  and  see  ! 

On  this  momentous  Saturday,  Winnemeg,  a  friendly  Pottawottomie 
chief,  brings  startling  news.  The  United  States  (June  i2th)  had 
declared  war  against  Great  Britain.  On  July  i6th,  Fort  Mackinac  had 
surrendered  to  the  British.  Now  General  Hull,  commanding  at 
Detroit,  sends  orders  by  Winnemeg  that  Captain  Heald  shall  evacuate 
Fort  Dearborn  "  if  practicable  "  and  proceed  to  Detroit  with  his  com- 
mand, over  land,  first  disposing  of  the  public  property  as  he  shall  see  fit. 
A  terrible  responsibility  here  falls  upon  poor  Heald.  Evacuate  the 
post — but  how?  He  has  but  seventy  men,  all  told,  many  of  them  on 
the  sick-list.  How  care  for  the  women,  the  children,  the  sick  and 
helpless,  not  to  speak  of  the  pitiful  accumulations  of  their  thrift  and 
industry?  Then  there  are  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  goods  public 
and  private  property,  including  arms,  ammunition  and  liquor. 

56 


THE  CLOUD,  CONE-SHAPED  AND  COPPER-COLORED.  57 

Indian  and  alcohol  combine  into  a  spontaneous  explosive,  a  fulmi- 
nate that  needs  no  spark.  The  whisky  would  make  the  savages  crazy 
with  ferocity,  and  the  arms  would  make  them  dangerous,  formidable, 
irresistible.  Truly  an  awful  dilemma. 

Winnemeg  at  first  advised  that  the  fort  be  held  to  await  re-inforce- 
ments.      Next  instantaneous  departure,  before  the  savages  could  collect 
and  decide  on  aline  of  action,  getting  safely 
away  while  they  were  occupied  with  the  huge 
spoil.     John    Kinzie  approved    this  course. 
Both  knewthe  Indian  better  than  did  Heald. 

The  first  full,  circumstantial  and  com- 
plete account  of  this  troubled  time  is  that 
given  by  Mrs.  John  H.  Kinzie  (Juliette  A. 
Magill,  of  Middletown,  Conn.,  daughter-in- 
law  of  John  Kinzie)  in  a  pamphlet  published 
for  her,  in  1844,  by  Ellis  &  Fergus,  saloon 
buildings,  corner  of  Lake  and  Clark  streets, 
Chicago.* 

To  the  narrative  thus  happily  pre- 
served, the  researches  of  John  Wentworth  MRS- 
and  others  have  added  letters,  reminiscences,  War  Department  Docu- 
ments (favored  by  Hon.  Robert  Lincoln,  Secretary  of  War)  and  other 
valuable  bits  of  information.  All  these  are  drawn  upon  to  aid  in  the 
present  task  of  writing  this  "Story." 

Mrs.   Kinzie    says,    concerning    the  views    of    Winnemeg : 

Of  this  advice,  so  earnestly  given,  Captain    Heald  was   immediately  informed.       He   replied 
that     .     .     .     inasmuch  as  he  had  received  orders  to  distribute  the  United  States  property,  he  should 
not  feel  justified  in  leaving  it  until  he  had  collected  the  Indians  of  the  neighborhood  and  made  an 
equitable  division   among  them.     .     .     The  order  for  evacuating  the  post  was  read  next   morning 
[Sunday,  August  loth]  on    parade.     ...     In  the  course  of   the  day     ...     the  officers  waited  Capt.  Heald's 
upon  Captain  Heald  to  be  informed  what  course  he   intended   to  pursue.     When   they  learned  hi?     Dilemma, 
intentions,  they  remonstrated  with  him  on  the  following  grounds: 

First,  it  was  highly  improbable  that  the  command  would  be  permitted  to  pass  through  the  coun- 
try in  safety  to  Fort  Wayne.  ...  In  the  next  place,  their  march  must  necessarily  be  slow,  as 
their  movements  must  be  accommodated  to  the  helplessness  of  the  women  and  chi'dren,  of  whom 
there  were  a  number  with  the  detachment.  Of  their  small  force  some  of  the  soldiers  were  super- 
annuated, others  invalid.  Therefore,  since  the  course  was  left  discretional,  their  unanimous  advice 
was  to  remain  where  they  were  and  fortify  themselves  as  strongly  as  possible. 

The  unhappy  commander  fell  back  on  his  orders,  general  and 
special,  adding  that  he  had  "full  confidence  in  the  friendly  professions 
of  the  Indians,  from  whom,  as  well  as  from  the  soldiers,  the  capture  of 

*  Mr.  Robert  Fergus,  of  that  firm,  is  still  living  in  Chicago,  and  is  the  head  of  the  Fergus  Printing  Company,  Pub- 
lishers of  the  Fergus  Historical  Series  so  often  quoted  and  to  be  quoted  in  these  pages.  His  knowledge  of  events  here 
since  his  arrival  (1836)  is  authority  for  many  of  the  facts  and  incidents  herein  set  forth.  Concerning  this  particular  nar- 
rative, Mr.  Fergus  says  that  Mrs.  Kinzie  remarked,  with  regard  to  its  incorporation  by  Judge  Henry  Mrown  in  his  His- 
tory of  Illinois,  that  the  Judge  had  no  right  or  authority  to  make  that  use  of  her  work.  She,  herself,  afterward  incorpo 
rated  it  as  chapters  18,  19  and  20,  in  her  novel  "  Waubun,"  published  in  1856.  The  Fergus  Company  proposes  to  republish 
the  original  pamphlet  as  No.  30  in  the  "  Historical  Series." 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Mackinac  had  been  kept  a  profound  secret."  The  fact  was  that  they 
knew  it  before  he  did  ;  Tecumseh  had  sent  the  news  by  runners,  with 
urgent  appeals  to  them  to  go  on  the  war-path. 

The  under-officers  were  silenced  and  unconvinced  ;  incensed  by 
what  they  thought  a  mad  project.  Nothing  short  of  the  habit  and  tradi- 
tion of  soldierly  obedience  kept  them  from  open  revolt.  To  quote  Mrs. 
Kinzie  again  : 

Upon  one  occasion,  as  Captain  Heald  was  conversing  with  Mr.  Kinzie  upon  the  parade,  he 
remarked:  "  I  could  not  remain,  even  if  I  thought  best,  for  I  have  but  a  small  store  of  provisions." 
"  Why,  Captain,"  said  a  soldier  who  stood  near  by,  forgetting  all  etiquette,  "  You  have  cattle  enough 
to  last  the  troops  six  months  "  ''  But  I  have  no  salt  to  preserve  it  with  "  "  Then  jerk  it,"  said  the 
man,  "  as  the  Indians  do  their  venison."* 

This  ill-feeling  between  the  commandant  and  his  subordinate  offi- 
cers was  not  a  new  thing.      Irritation  is  unfortunately  a  common  circum- 
stance at  frontier  army   posts,  where  isolation,  idleness  and  enforced 
companionship  are  unavoidable.      It  is  vain  to  try  to  find  out  who  was 
m    jn  the  wrongr  in  the  case  now  in  question.     The  quarrelers  are  all  dead; 

the  Garrison.  & 

some  killed  during  the  fight  then  impending,  some  wounded,  and  later 
butchered,  in  the  usual  Indian  fashion;  one.  Captain  Heald  himself, 
though  wounded  in  the  hip,  dying  (probably  in  consequence  of  his 
wound)  in  1832,  twenty  years  later. 

Precious  days  were  passed  in  consultation  and  preparation,  during 
which  the  cloud  —  "cone-shaped  and  copper-colored,"  like  any  other 
cyclone  —  grew  and  brooded. 

Mrs.  Kinzie,  evidently  using  the  traditions  handed  down  to  her 

directly  from  her  husband's  father,  says  : 

The  Indians  became  daily  more  unruly.  Entering  the 
fort  in  defiance  of  the  sentinels,  they  made  their  way  without 
ceremony  to  the  officers'  quarters.  On  oneoccasion  an  Indian 
took  up  a  rifle  and  fired  it  in  the  parlor  of  the  Commandant, 
as  an  expression  of  defiance.  .  .  .  The  old  chiefs  passed  back- 
ward and  forward  among  the  assembled  groups,  with  the 
appearance  of  the  most  lively  agitation,  while  the  squaws 
rushed  to  and  fro,  in  great  excitement,  evidently  prepared 
for  some  fearful  scene. 

Subjugation  and  oppression  of  their 
white  sisters  was  already  a  familiar  idea 
among  the  squaws.  Some  six  months 
before  this,  two  Calumet  Indians,  coming 
to  the  fort  on  a  visit,  saw  Mrs.  Heald  and 
Mrs.  Helm  playing  battledore.  One  of 
them  named  Nau-non  gee  said  to  the 

interpreter  :  "  White  chief's  wives  are  amusing  themselves  very 
much.  It  will  not  be  long  before  they  are  hoeing  in  our  corn-fields." 

*This  is  done  by  cutting  the  meat  in  thin  slices,  placing  it  upon  a  scaffold  and  making  a  fire  under  it,  which  dries 
it  and  smokes  it  at  the  same  time. 


REBEKAH  HEALD. 


THE  CLOUD,  CONE-SHAPED  AND  COPPER-COLORED.  59 

This  taunt  was  forgotten,  until  the  experience  of  the  female  survivors  of 
the  massacre  recalled  it  to  mind  and  gave  it  bitter  significance. 

As  before  observed,  Wau-Bun  is  the  main  source  of  knowledge 
regarding  these  days.  (It  should  be  reprinted  and  have  its  place  in 
every  Chicago  library.)  Following  its  lead,  with  minor  corrections  and 
abbreviations,  we  go  on  with  the  narrative. 

August  1 2th,  a  large  number  of  Indians  were  assembled  from  the 
neighboring  villages  and  Captain  Heald  held  a  council  with  them, 
attended  by  Mr.  Kinzie  ;  his  own  officers  declining  to  accompany  him 
because  they  had  secret  information  (discredited  by  him)  that  a  massacre 
of  all  the  officers  was  planned  for  that  occasion.  When  he  and  Mr. 
Kinzie  moved  out  to  the  meeting-ground,  the  others  took  possession  of  I««H»<I Council 
the  block-houses  which  overlooked  it,  opened  the  ports  and  trained  the 
guns  on  the  assembly.  No  attack  was  made,  either  because  the  fears 
had  been  groundless  or  because  the  preparations  overawed  the  plotters. 

Mrs.  Kinzie  says  that  Captain  Heald  promised  the  Indians  "not 
only  the  goods  in  the  United  States  Store  but  also  the  ammunition  and 
provisions,"  and  asked  of  them  an  escort  to  Fort  Wayne,  they  to  receive 
a  further  reward  on  arriving  there.  She  adds  :  "  With  many  profes- 
sions of  friendship  and  good  will  the  savages  assented  to  all  he  proposed 
and  promised  all  he  required." 

The  separate  and  distinct  promise  to  give  up  the  "  ammunition  and 
provisions"  above  set  forth,  is  nowhere  else  stated  or  indicated.  No 
means  exists  of  absolutely  confirming  or  contradicting  the  statement  ; 
yet  one  is  disposed  to  doubt  its  accuracy.  It  does  not  appear  that  the 
question  had  been  raised  ;  therefore  to  make  a  new,  uncalled-for,  definite 
announcement  as  here  reported,  is  to  start  the  question  and  decide  it 
adversely  to  the  manifest  interest  of  the  whites  and  contrary  to  their 
subsequent  acts.  Captain  Heald  himself  says  in  a  letter  dated  at  Pitts- 
burgh, October  23,  1812  (Niles1  Weekly  Register,  vol.  iii,  p.  155,  quoted 
in  Hurlbut's  Chicago  Antiquities,  p.  177): 

On  the  gth  of  August  I  received  orders  from  General  Hull  to  evacuate  the  post  and  proceed, 
with  my  command,  to  Detroit  by  land,  leaving  it  to  my  discretion  to  dispose  of  the  public  property  as 
I  thought  proper.  The  neighboring  Indians  got  the  information  as  early  as  I  did  and  came  from  all 
quarters  in  order  to  receive  the  goods  at  the  factory  store, which  they  understood  were  to  be  given  them. 
.  .  .  On  the  I4th  I  delivered  the  Indians  all  the  goods  in  the  store  and  a  considerable  quantity  of 
provisions  which  we  could  not  take  with  us.  The  surplus  arms  and  ammunition  I  thought  proper 
to  destroy,  fearing  that  they  would  make  bad  use  of  it  if  put  in  their  possession.  I  also  destroyed  all 
liquor  on  hand  soon  after  they  began  to  collect. 

It  is  probable  that  we  may  make  a  "  personal  equation  "  in  accept- 
ing Mrs.  Kinzie's  narrative.  To  go  meant  the  utter  loss  of  all 
Mr.  Kinzie's  hard-earned  wealth.  Disaster  befell  the  troops ;  none, 
excepting  impoverishment,  befell  the  Kinzies ;  therefore  it  appears, 
(especially  to  the  last  named)  that  the  Kinzies  were  wise  and  the  army 


60  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

foolish.  Besides,  we  must  remember  there  is  always  a  hard  feeling 
between  the  military  and  the  civil  officials  in  every  Indian  post — East 
Indian  or  American  Indian — the  soldier  holding  the  sword  and  the  civ- 
ilian the  purse  ;  each  slightly  envying  the  other  what  he  possesses  and 
slightly  despising  him  for  the  lack  of  what  he  is  deprived  of. 

At  any  rate  the  captain  (by  and  with  the  advice  of  Mr.  Kinzie,  by- 
the-way)  concluded  not  to  give  the  whisky  and  arms  to  the  savages. 
He  did  what  any  of  us  common-sense,  reasonable  men,  unknowing  of 
the  worst  possible  conduct  in  the  worst  possible  of  races,  might  have 
done.  He  doubtless  reasoned  thus  : 

"  I  will  destroy  the  means  of  frenzy  and  the  means  of  murder ;  then 

I  will  win  the  grateful  allegiance  of  the  Indian  by  magnificent  gifts; 

i™nand  Ac-   stores  that  will  make  him  rich  beyond  his  wildest  dream  of  comfort  and 

abundance.     Then  I  will  throw  myself  and  these  defenseless  ones  on  his 

protection." 

Alas,  he  did  not  know  with  whom  he  was  dealing !  What  is  food 
and  clothing  to  a  devil  demanding  drink  and  gunpowder  ?  The  scent 
of  blood  and  spoil  had  brought,  by  this  time,  400  or  500  savages  about 
his  doomed  and  helpless  little  band.  He  got  only  insolence  in  return 
for  what  he  gave  them  and  loud  curses  for  what  he  withheld. 

The  graphic  narrative  goes  on  (Wau-Bun,  p.  iji8)  : 

On  the  I3th  the  goods,  consisting  of  blankets,  broadcloths,  calicoes,  paints,  etc.,  Were  dis- 
tributed as  stipulated.  The  same  evening  the  ammunition  and  liquor  were  carried,  part  to  the  sally- 
port and  thrown  into  a  well  .  .  .  the  remainder  was  transported  as  secretly  as  possible  through  the 
Northern  gate,  the  heads  of  the  barrels  knocked  in  and  the  contents  poured  into  the  river.  The 

same  fate  was  shared  by  a  large  quantity  of  alcohol  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  Kinzie  which  had  been  deposited  in  a  warehouse 
near  his  residence  opposite  the  fort. 

The  Indians  suspected  what  was  going  on,  and  crept, 
serpent-like,  as  near  the  scene  of  action  as  possible,  but  a 
vigilant  watch  was  kept  up  and  no  one  was  suffered  to 
approach  but  those  engaged  in  the  affair.  All  the  muskets 
not  necessary  for  the  command  on  the  march  were  broken 
up  and  thrown  in  the  well,  together  with  bags  of  shot, 
flints,  gun-screws,  and  in  short  everything  relating  to 

weapons  of  offence On  the  afternoon  of  the  same 

day,  a  second  council  was  held  with  the  Indians.  They 
expressed  great  indignation  at  the  destruction  of  the  ammu- 
nition and  liquor.  Notwithstanding  the  precautions  that 
had  been  taken  to  preserve  secrecy,  the  noise  of  knock- 
ing in  the  heads  of  the  barrels  had  betrayed  the  operations 
•^  of  the  preceding  night;  and  so  great  was  the  quantity 

LITTLE  TURTLE   ("ME  CHE-KAN-     thrown  into  the  river  that  the  taste  of  the  water  the  next 
NAH-QUA").  morning  was,  as  one  expressed  it,    "  strong  grog." 

All  accounts  agree  that  there  were  among  the  numerous  chiefs 
some  who  cherished  friendly  feelings,  not  toward  the  whites  in  general, 
but  toward  the  traders  and  many  even  of  the  soldiers.  They  went  so  far 
as  to  try  to  stem  the  rising  tide  of  greed  and  cruelty  among  the  other 


THE  CLO  [/£>,  CONE-SHAPED  AND  COPPER-COLORED. 


61 


chiefs  and  the  rank  and  file  of  their  followers.  But  they  were  powerless 
to  avert  the  coming  doom.  The  young  bucks  were  scalp-hungry  and 
blood-thirsty;  they  had  been  too  long  deprived  of  their  natural  pabulum. 
After  the  pow-wow,  Black  Partridge,  a  chief  friendly  to  the  whites, 
visited  Captain  Heald  on  a  strange  mission.  He  had  received  from 
Gen.  Wayne,  at  the  time  of  the  treaty  of  Greenville  (1795),  a  medal 
which  he  had  worn  ever  since.  Now  that  he  was  going  to  war,  he 
wanted  to  give  back  his  medal. 


From  *'  Cyclopedia  of  United  Suto  Hitlory. 


BLACK  PARTRIDGE  MEDAL. 


'opyright,  IS8I,  t>y  Hirper  A  Brother*. 


Mrs.  Kinzie  reports  his  words  thus: 

Father:  I  came  to  deliver  up  to  you  the  medal  I  wear.  It  was  given  me  by  the  Americans, 
and  I  have  long  worn  it  in  token  of  our  mutual  friendship.  But  our  young  men  are  resolved  to 
imbue  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  the  whites.  I  can  not  restrain  them,  and  I  will  not  wear  a  token 
of  peace  when  I  am  compelled  to  act  as  an  enemy."* 

On  the  same  day,  August  i2th,  a  cheering  sight  greets  the  anxious 
eyes  of  the  fort-dwellers.  As  the  sun  is  sinking  in  the  West,  there 
comes  along  the  lake  shore,  stretched  out  beside  the  yellow  sand  hills 
that  extend  southward  clear  down  to  the  woods  now  marking  the  suburb 
of  Hyde  Park,  a  band  of  thirty  friendly  Indians,  Miamies,  headed 
by  William  Wells,  a  good  and  brave  soldier  who  knows  the  Indians  as 
well  as  they  know  each  other. 

They  have  tramped  all  the  way  from  Fort  Wayne,  150  miles, 
charged  with  the  kindly,  dangerous  task  of  escorting  the  entire  Chicago 
community  back  along  the  pathless  forest  they  themselves  have  just 
come  through.  Captain  Wells  at  least  is  not  blind  to  the  nature  of  his  task, 
for  he  grew  up  in  the  family  of  "Little  Turtle"  ("Me-che-kan-nah-qua"), 
fought  on  his  side  in  his  victories  over  Harmer  (1790)  and  St.  Clair 

•This  most  un-Indian  speech  shows  the  thumb-marks  of  many  hands.  One  is' tempted  to  guess  it  back  into  its 
original  words.  "  B'joo!  Here!  Take  'urn  medal.  No  can  help.  Partridge  lontf  time  friends.  Now  no  can  help. 
Young  braves  want  to  kill.  Want  get  scalp.  Partridge  no  can  help.  No  want  medal.  You  keep!  B'joo!  *'  (B'joo 
was  the  old  salutat  on  of  these  Indians;  doubtless  corrupted  from  the  "  Ronjour  "  of  the  French. I 


Brave  William 
Wells  arrives. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


View  from  the 
roof  of  the 
Block  House, 


(1791),  and  fought  against  him  at  the  battle  of  1794  when  Wayne  was 
victorious.  Wells'  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Little  Turtle.  Her  Indian 
name  was  Wa-nan-ga-peth. 

Mrs.  Heald,  wife  of  the  commandant  at  Fort  Dearborn,  is  Wells' 
niece,  being  the  daughter  of  his  brother  Samuel. 

No,  it  is  not  ignorance,  it  is  brave  self-devotion,  even  to  the  death, 
that  brings  William  Wells  on  this  mission.  He  finds  all  in  turmoil  and 
the  confusion  of  divided  counsels.  The  order  for  removal  "  if  possible" 
has  arrived  from  General  Hull.  It  is  impossible  to  stay,  but  is  it  possi- 
ble to  go  ?  Two  courses  of  comparative  safety  had  been  open;  one,  to 
go  at  once  and  leave  the  wolves  to  gorge  on  the  carrion  left  behind,  the 
other  to  stay  and  defend  the  place  to  the  last.  The  third  course;  to 
wait  some  days  and  then  go,  is  the  fatal  one  and  the  one  decided  upon 
before  Wells'  arrival. 

Suppose  the  veteran,  tired  with  the  tramping,  the  trifling  and  the 
turmoil,  to  mount  to  the  top  of  the  block-house  at  the  northwest  corner 

of  the  stockade  and,  in  the  shadow  of  its 
motionless  flag,  pause  to  look  about  him  ; 
what  does  he  see  ? 

A  lonely,  weedy  streamlet  flows  east- 
ward past  the  fort ;  then  turns  sharp  to 
the  right  and  makes  its  weak  way  by  a 
shallow,  fordable  ripple,  over  a  long  sand- 
bar, into  the  lake  a  half-mile  to  the  south- 
ward. At  his  feet  on  the  river-bank 
stands  the  United  States  Agency  Store- 
house. Across  the  river  and  a  little  to  the 
eastward  is  the  old  Kinzie  house,  built  of 
squared  logs,  by  Jean  Baptiste  Pointe  de 
Saible,  nearly  forty  years  ago;  nowrepaired, 
WM.  WELLS.  enlarged  and  improved  by  its  owner  and 

occupant,  John  Kinzie.  A  canoe  lies  moored  to  the  bank  in  front  of 
the  house  ;  when  any  of  the  numerous  Kinzies  wish  to  come  to  the 
fort  they  can  paddle  across  ;  when  anyone  wishes  to  go  over  he  can 
halloo  for  the  canoe.  Just  west  of  Kinzie's  house  is  Ouillemette's 
cabin,  and  still  further  that  of  John  Burns.  Opposite  Burns'  place 
(near  South  State  St.)  a  swampy  branch  enters  the  river  from  the  south; 
and  on  the  sides  of  this  branch  there  is  a  group  of  Indian  wigwams — 
ominous  sight!  The  north  side  of  the  river  is  all  wooded,  except  where 
little  garden  patches  are  cleared  around  the  human  habitations.  The 
observer  may  see  the  forks  of  the  stream  a  mile  to  the  westward,  but 
lie  can  not  trace  its  branches,  either  "  River  Guarie  "  to  the  north  or 


THE  CLOUD,  CONE-SHAPED  AND    COPPER-COLORED.  63 

"  Portage  River"  to  the  south,  for  the  trees  hide  them.  Near  him,  to 
the  west  and  south,  sandy  flats,  grassy  marshes  and  general  desolation 
are  all  he  can  see.  (Will  that  barren  waste  ever  be  worth  a  dollar  in 
acre  ?)  Beyond,  out  of  sight,  past  the  bend  of  the  South  Branch,  is 
Lee's  Place  with  its  fresh  bloodstains  and  its  two  grassless  graves. 

And  so  his  eye  wanders  on  across  the  sandy  flat,  across  the  Indian 
trail  leading  south  and  the  lake-shore  trail  which  he  himself  came  over, 
and  finally  rests  with  relief  on  the  lake  itself,  the  dancing  blue  water  and 
the  sky  that  covers  it. 

It  is  said  that  he  who  is  about  to  die  has  sometimes  a  "second- 
sight,"  a  gift  of  looking  forward  to  the  days  that  are  to  follow  his  death. 

Suppose  the  weary  and  anxious  observer  now  to  fall  asleep  and  in 
dreams  to  be  gifted  with  this  prophetic  foresight,  and  to  discern  the 
change  that  fourscore  years  are  to  bring. 

It  is  1892  ;  close  at  hand  he  sees  the  streamlet,  now  a  mighty  channel, 
a  fine,  broad,  deep  water-way  running  straight,  between  long  piers,  out 
to  the  lake  ;  and  stretching  inland  indefinitely  ;  bordered  by  elephantine  The  Mme  spot 
elevators  ;  spanned  by  magnificent  draw-bridges  each  built  of  steel  and  8oyea' 
moved  by  steam;  carrying  on  its  floods  great  propellorsof  100,000  bush- 
els grain  capacity.  Looking  north,  west  and  south  he  sees  serried 
ranks  of  enormous  buildings  towering  for  miles  on  miles,  each  one  so 
tall  as  to  dwarf  the  fort  and  block-house  to  nothingness.  He  sees 
hundreds  of  miles  of  paved  streets,  thronged  with  innumerable  passengers 
and  vehicles  moving  hither  and  thither,  meeting  and  impeding  each 
other  so  that  sometimes  so  many  try  to  pass  that  none  can  pass;  all 
must  wait  until  the  uniformed  guardians  of  the  peace  bring  order  out 
of  chaos.  Every  acre  of  ground  in  sight  is  worth  millions  of  dollars. 

His  dreaming  ears  must  be  stunned  by  the  thunder  of  com- 
merce, his  nostrils  shocked  by  the  smells  of  the  vast  food-factories, 
his  skin  smutched  with  the  smoke  of  the  fuel  burning  all  about  him 
to  keep  these  wheels  in  motion.  Bewildered  and  dumfounded ; 
even  more  wearied  than  he  had  been  by  his  waking  view,  he  would 
fain  turn  his  eyes  to  the  East  and  rest  them  on  the  shining  calm 
of  the  great  lake,  the  dancing  blue  water  and  the  sky  that  covers  it. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Flag  of  distress. 


John  Kinzie's 
course. 


BATTLE    AND    MURDER    AND    SUDDEN    DEATH. 

HE  departure  was  set  for  August 
During  the  preceding  night  Captain  Wells 
learned  from  his  Miamis  that  the  Indians 
had  resolved  on  slaughter.  Nevertheless 
march  they  must,  and  at  nine  o'clock  A.  M. 
the  great  south  gates  (about  at  the  spot 
where  now  is  the  northern  end  of  Michigan 
avenue)  were  opened  and  the  doomed 
party  passed  through  them  for  the  last 
time.  Captain  Wells,  true  to  his  Indian 
traditions,  had  blackened  his  face  in  premoni- 
tion of  death.  The  garrison  fifrs  and  drums, 
by  prophetic  choice  of  the  band-master,  struck 
up  the  dead  march.  Captain  Wells  led  the 
way  with  half  of  his  Miamis,  the  rest  forming 
the  rear-guard  to  the  column. 
According  to  Mrs.  Helm  a  scene  of  riot  and  disorder  began  even 
as  they  left  the  fort.  The  Indians  went  to  killing  the  cattle  running  at 
large.  She  reports  Ensign  Ronan  as  saying  to  her:  "Such  is  to  be 
our  fate — to  be  shot  down  like  brutes!"  "Well,  sir,"  said  the  com- 
manding officer,  who  overheard  him,  "are  you  afraid  ?"  "  No,"  replied 
the  other,  "  I  can  march  up  to  the  enemy  where  you  dare  not  show  your 
face."  And  as  Mrs.  Helm  proceeds:  "  His  subsequent  gallant  behavior 
showed  this  to  be  no  idle  boast."  Mrs.  Helm,  in  the  dispute  between 
Heald  and  his  subordinates,  evidently  took  sides  with  the  latter. 

John  Kinzie  had  been  warned  by  To-pee-nee-be,  a  friendly  chief, 
to  keep  clear  of  the  column  from  the  fort,  and  he  did  send  his  family  in 
a  bateau  to  proceed  parallel  with  the  marching  force  but  a  little  way 
out  in  the  lake.  At  the  same  time  he  himself  bravely  chose  to  march 
with  the  land  party,  hoping  to  help  them  in  their  extremity. 

The  boat  party  consisted  of  Mrs.  John  Kinzie  and  her  four  younger 
children — John    H.   (9);  Ellen  Marion,   afterward   Mrs.  Wolcott    (7); 
Maria   Indiana,  afterwards  Mrs.  David  Hunter  (5);  and  Robert  Allen 
(2),  all  of  whom  were  her  children  by  Mr.  Kinzie.     Her  elder  daughter, 
Margaret  (McKillop)   Helm,  wife  of    Lieutenant   Helm,  accompanied 


BATTLE  AND  MURDER  AND  SUDDEN  DEATH 


her  husband  and  the  troops.  In  the  boat  also  were  "  Grutte,"*  nurse 
to  the  children  (afterwards  Mrs.  Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien),  a  clerk  of 
Mr.  Kinzie's,  two  servants,  a  boatman  and  two  Indians  as  a  guard. 

Irjtthe  marching  column  there  were  at  the  head  Captain  Wells  and 
fifteen  of  his  Miamis;  next  (probably)  the  wagons  with  the  sick,  the 
women  and  children,  the  camp  equipage  and  the  supplies;  and,  march- 
ing beside  them,  such  troops  as  were  able  to  travel  on  foot;  the  rear 
being  brought  up  by  the  remaining  Miamis. 

On  their  right  were  five  hundred  Indian  braves,  their  escort,  their 
safeguard,  their  promised  help  and  protection.  The  train  took  the  best 


Line  of  March. 


1812. 


Chart  of  Chi- 
cago in  1813. 


beaten  track,  which  lay  along  the  lake  shore  (not  far  from  Michigan 
Avenue),  until  it  diverged  to  the  eastward  of  the  sand  hills  which  began 
about  Twelfth  street.  The  Indian  "escort,"  on  reaching  the  point  last 
named,  veered  westward,  passed  out  of  sight  behind  the  sand  hills  and 
hurried  on  to  form  an  ambuscade. 

Mrs.  Kinzie  says  (Wall bun,  p.  223): 

The  boat  started,  but  had  scarcely  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river,  which,  it  will  be  recollected 
was  here  half  a  mile  below  the  fort  [about  Harrison  street]  when  another  messenger  from  To -pee 
nee  be  arrived  to  detain  them  where  they  were.  In  breathless  expectation  sat  the  wife  and  mother. 
She  was  a  woman  of  uncommon  energy  and  strength  of  character,  yet  her  heart  died  within  her  as 
she  folded  her  arms  around  her  helpless  infants  and  gazed  on  the  march  of  her  husband  and  eldest  Tne  Boat  Party, 
child  to  certain  destruction  .  .  They  had  marched  perhaps  a  mile  and  a  half  [Fourteenth 

street]  when  Captain  Wells  who  had  kept  somewhat  in  advance  with  his  M'amis,  came  riding  furi- 
ously back.  "  They  are  about  to  attack  us,"  shouted  he;  "form  instantly  and  charge  upon  them." 
Scarcely  were  ttc  words  uttered,  when  a  volley  was  showered  from  among  the  sand  hills.  The 
troops  were  hastlty  brought  into  line  and  charged  up  the  bank.  One  man,  a  veteran  of  seventy  win- 
ters, fell  as  they  ascended. 

Captain   Heald,  writing  from    Pittsburgh,  October  23,  1812,   says 
that  after  marching  to  the  top  of  the  sand  hill  and  firing  one  round 

*  Hurlbut  says  that  thii  wjrJ  is  useJ  by  mistake  f  jr  "  Joiette."    (Chicago  A  «///«///«.) 


66  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

the  troops  charged,  and  the  Indians  (as  might  have  been  expected) 
gave  way  in  the  front  and  joined  those  on  the  flanks.     The  real  fight- 
attack  ing  lasted  only  about  fifteen  minutes.     The  Miamis  gave  no  help.     The 

thetrain.  *  ,  ,     .  ,       ,  1-1  ,         i 

Indians  closed  in  around  the  wagons  and  seized  upon  "the  horses, 
provisions  and  baggage  of  every  description,"  whil^  he  drew  off  the 
remnant  of  his  force  and  "  took  possession  of  a  small  elevation  on  the 
open  prairie  out  of  shot  of  the  bank  or  any  other  cover." 

All  this  seems  like  the  conduct  of  a  brave  fool.  To  charge  upon 
an  enemy  that  outflanks  you,  is  only  excusable  when  either,  first,  his 
courage  depends  on  his  formation,  and  the  centre  being  pierced  all 
will  fly  (a  suggestion  quite  foreign  to  Indian  tactics,  which  are  for 
individual  fighting)  ;  or,  second,  when,  having  nothing  to  protect,  you 
may  cut  your  way  through  to  safety — certainly  not  this  case,  when  you 
have  everything  to  protect  and  no  safety  to  reach  by  cutting  through. 

Any  smart  boy  could  have  seen  that  the  safety  of  the  train  was 
the  main  thing  at  stake,  and,  besides,  that  the  loss  of  the  train  meant 
also  the  loss  of  the  troops.  Heald  ought  to  have  planned,  long  before 
he  set  out,  what  should  be  done  in  every  possible  contingency. 

The  train  massed  on  the  shore,  the  lake  protecting  rear  and  flanks, 
would  have  been  nearly  impregnable.  There  was  no  shelter  for  an 
advancing  force,  and  Indians  (no  matter  how  numerous),  donotattack  in 

Howthcymight  .  •     n-  *  r 

hasav£ien  tne  °Pen  where  they  must  sustain  more  loss  than  they  can  inflict.  If 
it  be  true  that  Captain  Wells  called  for  the  charge,  then  his  was  the  first 
error,  but  all  should  have  been  planned  in  the  alternative  fashion  so 
familiar  to  soldiers:  "  The  enemy  can  try  such  and  such  means  of  attack 
[or  defence,  as  the  case  may  be].  If  this  be  his  plan,  then  that  is  our 
best  counter-move,"  etc.  And  the  first  general  order  should  have  been : 
"If  we  are  attacked,  rally  on  the  wagons  and  defend  them  to  the  last 
shot  and  the  last  man." 

Suppose  the  wagons  to  be  wheeled  into  a  kind  of  semi-circle,  with 
flanks  on  the  lake,  and  a  few  rifle-pits  dug  in  the  yielding  sand  and  thrown 
out  to  advantage;  these  things  would  have  prevented  the  immediate 
slaughter,  baffled  the  hostile  Indians  and  given  the  friendly  some 
precious  hours,  days,  or  even  weeks,  in  which  to  parley  for  rescue  or 
ransom.  At  any  rate,  nothing  worse  than  what  was  done  could  possibly 
have  been  contrived.  The  sickening  story  is  best  given  by  condensing 
Mrs.  Helm's  narrative. 

The  troops  were  but  a  handful,  but  they  seemed  resolved  to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possi- 
ble. Our  horses  pranced  and  bounded  as  the  balls  whistled  among  them.  I  drew  off  a  little  and 
gazed  upon  my  husband  and  father,  who  were  yet  unharmed.  .  .  .  The  surgeon,  Dr.  Van 
Voorhees,  came  up.  He  was  badly  wounded.  His  horse  had  been  shot  under  him  and  he  had 
received  a  ball  in  the  leg.  He  said,  "  Do  you  think  they  will  take  our  lives?  I  am  badly  wounded, 
but  I  think  not  mortally.  Perhaps  we  might  purchase  our  lives  by  promising  them  a  large  reward. 
Oh,  I  can  not  die!  I  am  not  fit  to  die!  If  I  had  but  a  short  time  to  prepare — death  is 


HATTLE  AND  MURDER  AND  SUDDEN  DEATH.  6j 

awful!"  I  pointed  to  Lieutenant  Ronan;  who,  though  mortally  wounded  and  nearly  down,  was 
fighting  with  desperation  on  one  knee.  "  Look  at  that  man,"  1  said.  "  At  least  he  dies  like  a  soldier." 
"  Yes,"  replied  the  unfortunate  man,  "  but  he  has  no  terrors  of  the  future.  He  is  an  unbeliever." 

The  difficulties  in  the  way  of  giving  absolute  belief  to  all  this  are 
obvious.  Captain  Wells  had  ridden  back  from  the  front  and  called  on  Mrs.  Helm's 
the  troops  to  charge,  which  they  did.  The  charge  led  them  some  dis-  dMcuitiel 
tance  from  the  train.  Is  it  to  be  supposed  that  Mrs.  Helm  and  Mrs. 
Heald  on  horseback  accompanied  the  foot  soldiers'  advance  ?  Nothing 
is  more  improbable.  Captain  Heald  says  the  Indians  closed  in  on  his 
flanks  and  rear  as  he  advanced  ;  and  it  would  seem  that  these  must 
have  been  those  Mrs.  Helm  speaks  of.  But  in  that  case,  how  came  her 
husband,  Lieutenant  Helm,  and  her  step-father,  John  Kinzie,  to  be  with 
her  and  "yet  unharmed  ?"  Captain  Heald,  in  his  letter  of  October 
23d,  already  quoted,  says  : 

We  had  proceeded  about  a  mile  and  a  half  when  it  was  discovered  that  the  Indians  were  about 
to  attack  us  from  behind  the  bank.  I  immediately  marched  up  with  the  company  to  the  top  of  the 
bank  [too  yards],  when  the  action  commenced.  After  firing  one  round  we  charged,  and  the  Indians 
gave  way  in  front  and  joined  those  on  the  flanks.  In  about  fifteen  minutes,  .  .  .  finding  that 
the  Miamis  did  not  assist  us,  I  drew  off  the  men  I  had  left  and  took  possession  of  a  small  elevation 
in  the  open  prairie,  out  of  shot  of  the  bank  or  any  other  cover. 

The  Indians  did  not  follow  me  but  assembled  in  a  body  on  the  top  of  the  bank. 

Thus  it  appears  that  Captain  Heald  and  the  survivors  of  the  troops 
were  separated  from  Dr.  Van  Voorhees,  Lieut.  Helm,  Mrs.  Helm  and 
Mr.  Kinzie,  at  the  time  Mrs.  Helm  describes  ;  by  the  main  body  of  the 
Indians.  But  then  how  about  her  pointing  out  Lieutenant  Ronan 
fighting  desperately  on  one  knee?  The  simplest  explanation  is  to  sup- 
pose that  the  soldiers,  in  their  fighting  advance,  became  divided,  part 
going  forward  with  Captain  Heald,  part  turning  back  with  Kinzie, 
Helm,  Ronan  and  Van  Voorhees. 

Another  eye-witness  (writing  only  nine  months  afterwards)  is  Walter 
Jordan,  one  of  Captain  Wells'  expeditionary  force  which  went  over  from 
Fort  Wayne  to  convoy  the  garrison  to  safety.  He  merely  says: 

On  the  I5th,  at  8  o'clock,  we  commenced  our  march  with  our  small  force  which  consisted  of 
Captain  Wells,  myself  and  one  hundred  Confute  Indians,  Captain  Heald's  one  hundred  men,  ten 
men,  ten  women  and  twenty  children — in  all  two  hundred  and  thirty-two.  We  had  marched  half  a 
mile  when  we  were  attacked  by  six  hundred  Kickapoo  and  Wynbago  Indians.  In  the  moment  of 
trial  our  Confute  savages  joined  the  savage  enemy.  Our  contest  lasted  ten  minutes,  when  every 
man,  woman  and  child  were  killed  except  fifteen. 

Following  the  ordinary  rules  of  evidence  we  put  most  faith  in  the 
testimony  given  nearest  to  the  time  of  the  occurrence.  It  is  reasonable 
to  presume  that  Heald  and  Jordan  told  the  truth  as  they  understood  it.  FraTn"l%^. 
When  Mrs.  Helm's  narrative  conflicts  with  theirs  we  may  reasonably 
suppose  that  during  the  twenty-four  years  that  elapsed  before  it  was 
taken  from  her  lips,  it  had  suffered  the  usual  vicissitudes  which  befall 
tradition  and  memory.* 

•  John  Wentworth  (Fergus1  History,  Series  No.  16,  p.  16)  says  that  in  1836  Mrs.  Helm  married  her  second  husband, 
Dr.  Abbott,  of  Detroit,  at  Chicago.  Mrs.  Kii.zic  (Waubun,  p.  201)  gives  1836  as  the  date  of  her  first  preparation  of  the 
narrative.  She  does  not  say  how  and  when  she  go:  Mrs.  Helm's  story;  but  this  seems  to  make  it  clear. 


68  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

Proceeding  with  Captain  Heald's  letter  (which  is  not  quoted  in 
Waubun)  we  learn  that  after  he  and  the  survivors  had  taken  refuge  on 
the  small  elevation  in  the  open  prairie,  and  the  Indians  had  assembled 
on  the  top  of  the  bank,  they  made  signs  for  him  to  approach  them, 
which  he  did,  alone,  and  was  met  by  the  Pottawatomie  Chief  Black- 
Bird,  with  an  interpreter.  "  After  shaking  hands,  he  requested  me  to 
capt.  Heaws  surrender,  promising  to  spare  the  lives  of  all  the  prisoners.  On  a  few 
etter- moments'  consideration  I  concluded  it  would  be  most  prudent  to  comply 
with  his  request,  although  I  did  not  put  entire  confidence  in  his 
promise." 

Returning  to  Mrs.  Helm's  story,  following  the  interview  with  the 
bleeding  Dr.  Van  Voorhees,  we  read  : 

At  this  moment  a  young  Indian  raised  his  tomahawk  at  me.  By  springing  aside  I  avoided 
the  blow,  which  was  intended  for  my  skull,  but  which  alighted  on  my  shoulder.  I  seized  him 
around  the  neck,  and,  while  exerting  my  utmost  efforts  to  get  possession  of  his  scalping  knife, 
which  hung  in  his  scabbard  over  his  breast,  I  was  dragged  from  his  grasp  by  another  and  an  older 
Indian.  The  latter  bore  me,  struggling  and  resisting,  toward  the  lake.  Notwithstanding  the  rapid- 
ity with  which  I  was  hurried  along,  I  recognized,  as  I  passed  them,  the  lifeless  remains  of  the 
unfortunate  surgeon.  Some  murderous  tomahawk  had  stretched  him  on  the  very  spot  where  I  had 
last  seen  him.  I  was  immediately  plunged  into  the  water  and  held  there  by  a  forcible  hand,  not- 
withstanding my  resistance.  I  soon  observed,  however,  that  the  object  of  my  captor  was  not  to 
drown  me,  for  he  held  me  firmly  in  such  a  position  as  to  place  my  head  above  water.  This  reassured 
me,  and,  regarding  him  attentively,  I  soon  recognized,  in  spite  of  the  paint  with  which  he  was  dis- 
guised, the  Black  Partridge.  [This  indicates  that  she  did  not  leave  the  shore  with  the  troops'  charge.] 

We  must  condense  the  recollections  of  the  half-crazed  sufferer. 
The  firing  died  away,  and  her  preserver  brought  her  on  shore,  where 
her  drenched  clothes,  the  heavy  sand  and  the  hot  sun  were  terrible. 
When  she  took  off  her  shoes  to  get  the  sand  out,  a  squaw  snatched 
hern  from  her,  and  she  had  to  stumble  on  as  best  she  could  without 
them.  She  met  Mr.  Kinzie.  who  told  her  her  husband  was  but  slightly 
wounded,  and  they  plodded  wearily  back  toward  the  fort.  They  gave 
her  a  barebacked  horse,  but  she  could  not  ride  him,  and,  supported  by 
Black  Partridge  and  another  Indian,  Pee-so-tum,  she  dragged  her  faint- 
ing steps  to  one  of  the  wigwams  of  the  Pottawatomies'  camp  on  the 
creek,  which  emptied  into  the  river  where  now  is  the  south  end  of  State 
street  bridge.  Pee-so-tum  held  dangling  in  his  hand  a  scalp  which,  by 
the  black  ribbon  around  the  queue,  she  recognized  as  that  of  Captain 
Wells  ! 

Another  part  of  Mrs  Helm's  narrative  tells  how  Captain  Wells 
died.  After  the  futile  charge  of  the  troops,  he  turned  his  horse  toward 
the  Indian  camp  near  the  fort  (State  street,  north  of  Marshall  Field's 

Killing  of       store),  pursued  by  the  foe.     He  loaded  and  fired  back  at  them  as  he 
wiiiiam  wens.  fled(  Iying  fla(.  Qn  his   horse      His   horse  was  k;lled  and  he  severely 

wounded  when  Winnemeg  and  Wau-ban-see   came  along  and  tried  to 
save  him   by  supporting  him  along   between  them.     But  the  Indians 


BATTLE  AND  MURDER  AND  SUDDEN  DEATH.  69 

had  now  come  up,  and  Pee-so-tum  (a  "friendly")  stabbed  him  in  the 
back  and  took  his  scalp.  Jordan's  letter  throws  light  on  the  treatment 
of  his  body. 

Thanks  be  to  God,  I  was  one  of  those  who  escaped.  First,  they  shot  the  feather  off  my  cap; 
next,  the  epaulette  from  my  shoulder,  and  then  the  handle  from  my  sword.  I  then  surrendered  to 
four  savage  rascals.  The  Confute  chief,  taking  me  by  the  hand  and  speaking  English,  said:  "  Jor- 
dan, I  know  you.  You  gave  me  tobacco  at  Fort  Wayne.  We  won't  kill  you,  but  come  and  see  what 
we  will  do  with  your  captain."  So,  leading  me  to  where  Wells  lay,  they  cut  off  his  head  and  put 
it  on  a  long  pole,  while  another  took  out  his  heart  and  divided  it  among  the  chiefs,  who  ate  it  up  raw. 
Then  they  scalped  the  slain  and  stripped  the  prisoners,  and  gathered  in  a  ring,  with  us  fifteen  poor 
wretches  in  the  middle.  They  had  nearly  fallen  out  about  the  divide,  but  my  old  chief,  the  White 
Raccoon,  holding  me  fast,  they  made  the  divide  and  departed  to  their  towns. 

Niles  Weekly  Register  (April  3,  1813)  says  that  Mrs.  Helm  had 
arrived  at  "  Buffaloe"  and  given  the  account  of  her  sufferings  during  six 

1,1  i         T       i-  i     •  i       •     Weekly    Regis- 

montns  or  slavery  among   the  Indians  and  imprisonment  among  their  ter Reported, 
allies;  adding  that,  for  five  days  after  she  was  taken  prisoner,  she  had  not 
the  least  sustenance,  and  when  she  demanded  food  a  piece  of  Col.  Wells' 
heart  was  offered  her.    All  this  is,  however,  at  variance  with  Mrs.  Helm's 
own  story  as  quoted  by  Mrs.  Kinzie  in  Waubun,  as  follows  : 

The  wife  of  Wau-bee-nee-mah,  a  chief  from  the  Illinois  river,  .  .  .  seeing  my  exhausted  condi- 
tion, seized  a  kettle,  dipped  up  some  water  from  a  stream,  threw  into  it  some  maple  sugar,  and,  stir" 
ring  it  up  with  her  hand,  gave  it  me  to  drink.  .  .  The  whites  had  surrendered  after  the  loss  of  about 
two-thirds  of  their  number.  They  had  stipulated,  through  the  interpreter  Peresh  Leclerc,  for  the 
preservation  of  their  lives  and  those  of  the  remaining  women  and  children,  and  for  their  delivery  at 
some  of  the  British  posts,  unless  ransomed  by  traders  in  the  Indian  country.  It  appears  that  the 
wounded  prisoners  were  not  considered  as  included  in  the  stipulation  and  a  horrible  scene  ensued  on 
their  being  brought  into  camp.  An  old  squaw  .  .  .  seized  a  stable  fork  and  assaulted  one  miserable 
victim,  who  lay  groaning  and  writhing  in  the  agony  of  his  wounds,  aggravated  by  the  scorching 
beams  of  the  sun.  .  .  Wau-bee-nee-mah  stretched  a  mat  across  two  poles  between  me  and  this  dread- 
ful scene.  I  was  thus  spared  in  some  degree  a  view  of  its  horrors,  although  I  could  not  entirely  close 
my  ears  to  the  cries  of  the  sufferer.  The  following  night  five  more  of  the  wounded  prisoners  were 
tomahawked. 

Mrs.  Helm  then  reverts  to  the  scene  of  the  fight  itself  and  gives 
(.manifestly  at  second-hand)  an  account  of  it  which  mainly  confirms 
Captain  Heald's,  but  conflicts  with  the  statement  that  she  had  seen  Kin- 
zie and  Helm  on  the  lake  shore  after  the  struggle  began.  She  says  that 
our  troops,  "after  their  first  attack  by  the  Indians,"  charged  and  suc- 
ceeded in  breaking  through  the  enemy  and  gaining  a  rising  ground,  "  not 

far  from  the  oak  woods."     From  here  Lieutenant  Helm  sent    Peresh  Tortures  of  dy- 
ing prisoners. 

Leclerc,  the  half-breed  boy,  to  propose  the  terms  of  capitulation. 

"  But  in  the  meantime  a  horrible  scene  had  been  enacted.  One 
young  savage,  climbing  into  the  baggage-wagon  containing  the  chil- 
dren of  the  white  families,  twelve  in  number,  tomahawked  the  children 
of  the  entire  group." 

And  so  perished  all  the  little  ones  who  had  been  born  at  and  about 
the  fort  since  its  building.  The  mind  refuses  to  picture  the  doings 
within  the  wagon-tilt ;  all  we  know  is  that  the  innocents  were  alive 
when  the  fiend  entered  at  one  end,  and  dead  or  dying  when  he  emerged 
from  the  other.  He  was  an  Indian  ;  that  is  all. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Captain  Heald  gives  the  killed  in  the  action  as,  thirty-eight  soldiers, 
two  women  and  twelve  children.  Niles  Weekly  Register  (June  4,  1814), 
gives  the  names  of  nine  soldiers  who  had  arrived  at  Pittsburgh,  N.  Y., 
from  Quebec,  and  adds  the  following  details  obtained  from  them. 


Fate  of  survi- 
vors. 


MASSACRE  TREE  AND  PULLMAN'S  HOUSE. 

"  Hugh  Logan,  an  Irishman,  was  tomahawked  and  put  to  death,  he  not 
being  able  to  walk,  from  excessive  fatigue.  August  Mott,  a  German, 
was  killed  in  the  same  manner  for  alike  reason.  A  child  of  Mrs.  Neads, 
the  wife  of  John  Neads,  was  tied  to  a  tree  to  prevent  its  following  its 
mother  and  crying  for  victuals.  Mrs.  Neads  afterwards  perished  with 
hunger  and  cold.  Mrs.  Corbin,  wife  of  Philin  Corbin,  in  an  advanced 


BA  TTLE  AND  MURDER  AND  SUDDEN  DBA  TH.  77 

state  of  pregnancy,  was  tomahawked,  scalped,  cut  open  and   had   the 
child  taken  out  and  its  head  cut  off." 

Truly,  the  suffering  of  one  generation  is  the  price  paid  for  the 
enjoyment  of  the  next.  The  "  Massacre  Elm  "  (a  cottonwood,  by  the 
way),  still  stands  in  the  middle  of  Eighteenth  street,  a  stone's  throw  from  The  Massacre 
the  lake,  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  most  fashionable  portions  of  Chicago, 
Eighteenth  street  and  Prairie  avenue.  The  boundaries  of  the  fight  are 
ill-defined,  but  it  is  clearly  established  that  it  included  this  spot.  There  is 
where  the  Kinzie  family  stated  the  occurrence  to  have  taken  place  ;  and 
Indian  relics,  beads,  etc.,  and  an  ancient  single-barrel  brass  pistol  have 
been  found  in  the  vicinity.  (Andreas,  Vol.  i,  p.  31.)  The  tree  is  of  an 
age  to  have  been  in  existence  in  1812,  and  therefore  surely  stood 
where  the  musketry  must  have  shaken  its  leaves  and  where  dying  eyes 
of  men,  women  and  children  may  have  looked  on  it  in  the  last  agony. 
It  all  happened  less  than  eighty  years  ago,  within  the  lifetime  of  thou- 
sands now  living.  Our  picture  well  sets  forth  the  contrasts  of  time  ;  the 
gaunt,  dead  tree,  fit  memorial  of  death  and  desolation,  relieved  against 
an  elegant,  gay  and  hospitable  mansion,  the  home  of  George  M.  Pullman, 
citizen  of  metropolitan  Chicago;  builder  of  Pullman,  the  model  working- 
village  ;  and  originator  and  controller  of  the  famous  world-wide  system 
of  trade  and  transportation. 

The  memorable,  historical  tree  is  dead  at  last,  having  borne  its  last 
leaves  in  1887,  the  very  year  of  the  death  of  Gurdon  Saltonstall  Hubbard,  Last 
Chicago's  last  connecting  link  with  the  time  which  this  story  has  now 
reached.  In  these  four-score  years  dance-music  has  taken  the  place  of 
the  whistle  of  hostile  bullets  ;  and  the  free  laugh  of  the  children  of  the 
rich  has  succeeded  to  the  scream  of  those  hapless  little  prisoners  in 
the  baggage-wagon — the  sudden  end  of  a  sunny  ride  which  they  had 
doubtless  entered  upon  as  a  rare  treat  in  their  monotonous  experience. 


•aves  on 
the  old  tree. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


John  Went- 
worth's  Dis- 
coveries. 


THEY    MADE    A   SOLITUDE   AND   CALLED     IT     PEACE. 

:APPILY,  joyfully,  we  add  to  Mrs. 
Kinzie's  record,  given  in  "  Wau- 
bun,"  some  almost  equally  valuable 
r  matter  not  available  to  Mrs.  Kinzie; 
in  fact,  not  committed  to  paper 
until  within  ten  years  before  this 
present  writing. 

Number  sixteen  of  Fergus'  prec- 
ious" Historical  Series"  is  devoted 
to  the  grand  work  done  by  the  late 
John  Wentworth  for  the  occasion  of 
the  unveiling  (in  1881)  of  the  memo- 
rial BlockhouseTablet  which  adorns 
the  north  wall  of  the  Hoyt  Grocery 
warehouse,  facing  Rush  Street 
bridge  from  the  south.  Mr.  Went- 
worth reaped  and  gleaned  the  whole 
field  with  a  power,  energy,  industry, 

perseverance  and  completeness  emblematic  of  his  manly  character.  He 
it  was  who  obtained  (through  Robert  Lincoln,  then  Secretary  of  War) 
every  scrap  and  word  which  the  Department  records  show  concern- 
ing the  two  forts  Dearborn ;  including  rosters  of  the  force  prior  to 
the  massacre,  and  letters  from  Captain  Heald  after  it.  Also, extracts 
from  the  files  of  Niles  Weekly  Register,  printed  in  Baltimore,  already 
quoted.  Also,  two  special  letters  from  A.  H.  Edwards,  of  Sheboygan, 
Wis.,  who  had  known  and  talked  with  actual  survivors  of  the  massacre. 
All  these  thrilling  bits  of  realism,  with  many  more,  are  included  in  the 
appendix  to  his  Blockhouse  speech  ;  published  as  Fergus'  No.  16. 

Besides  these,  he  in  some  way  got  knowledge  concerning  the 
descendants  of  Captain  Heald  ;  corresponded  with  them,  and  to  crown 
all  actually  produced  and  presented  to  the  meeting,  in  person,  the  Hon. 
Darius  Heald,  of  O'Fallon,  Mo.,  son  of  Captain  Heald  who  commanded 
at  the  massacre. 

From  Darius  Heald's  reports  is  condensed  the  following  account  of 

Captain  Heald  and  of  the  occurrence  from  his  point  of  view. 


THEY  MADE  A  SOLITUDE  AND  CALLED  IT  PEACE.  73 

Nathan  Heald  was  married  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  i8n(as  herein 
before  told),  to  Rebekah  Wells,  daughter  of  Col.  Samuel  Wells,  and  niece 
of  Capt.  William  Wells.  They  started  at  once  for  Fort  Dearborn  and  captain 
went  all  the  way  on  horseback,  she  riding  a  beautiful  trained  bay  mare, 
on  which  the  Indians  always  looked  with  longing  eyes,  and  which  they 
tried  to  steal  more  than  once.  She  was  riding  this  mare  when  the  attack 
took  place,  and  though  many  bullets  struck  the  rider  none  wounded  the 
steed.  The  Indians  got  both,  and  soon  surrendered  the  almost  dead 
Mrs.  Heald  ;  but  never,  then  or  thereafter,  would  part  with  the  mare 
though  every  attempt  was  made  to  buy  her. 

There  were  (says  the  son)  only  twenty-five  or  thirty  fighting  men  in 
the  fort,  the  others  being  on  the  sick-list.  The  weather  was  very 
hot.  All  were  satisfied  with  the  order  to  vacate,  except  "the  sutler  or 
storekeeper,  interpreters,  traders,  and  that  whole  class  who  felt  that 
their  occupation  would  be  gone  if  the  fort  should  be  abandoned. 
They  are  the  persons  who  have  handed  down  all  the  reflections  upon 
Captain  Heald's  conduct  in  leaving  the  fort." 

When  the  soldiers  had  proceeded  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  fort  they  were  surprised 
and  surrounded  by  about  six  hundred  Indians,  who  had  formed  in  a  horse-shoe  or  semi-circular 
shape  upon  the  bluff.  The  troops  were  upon  the  lake  shore.  Captain  and  Mrs.  Heald  were  riding 
together.  Captain  Wells  was  somewhat  in  advance,  dressed  in  Indian  costume,  riding  with  his 
Indian  forces.  Captain  Wells  first  noticed  the  design  of  the  Indians,  and  rode  back  and  informed 
Captain  Heald,  who  at  once  started  for  the  most  elevated  point  on  the  sand-hills,  and  endeavored  to 
mass  his  wagons,  baggage,  women  and  children  and  sick  soldiers  so  as  to  make  a  better  defense  Thc  Heald  side 
whilst  the  fight  was  going  on.  At  the  first  attack  Captain  Wells' Indians  made  their  escape.  Early  of  ihe  story. 
in  the  fight  Captain  Heald  and  his  wife  became  separated.  Captain  Wells  rode  up  to  Mrs.  Heald 
with  blood  streaming  from  his  mouth  and  nostrils,  and  told  her  that  he  thought  he  had  been  fatally 
wounded,  and  requested  her  to  inform  his  wife  that  he  had  fought  bravely  and  knew  he  had  killed 
seven  Indians  before  he  was  shot.  Soon  his  horse  was  shot,  and  as  the  horse  fell  his  foot  was 
caught  in  the  stirrup,  and  he  was  held  under  the  horse  for  some  time.  Whilst  in  this  position  he 
killed  his  eighth  Indian.  He  was  released  from  this  position  just  in  time  to  meet  his  death  from  a 
bullet  in  the  back  of  his  neck.  The  Indians  immediately  scalped  him,  cut  out  his  heart  and  flour 
ished  it  about  on  a  gun-stick,  then  divided  it  into  small  pieces  and  ate  it  whilst  warm,  Mrs.  Heald 
being  a  witness.  She  was  led  back  to  the  fort  as  a  prisoner. 

Captain  Heald  received  a  wound  in  the  hip  which  always  troubled  him,  and,  it  is  believed, 
caused  his  death  in  1832.  He  drew  a  pension  in  consequence  thereof.  Having  but  about  a  half 
dozen  men  left  in  fighting  condition,  Captain  Heald  surrendered.  The  Indians  returned  to  the  fort, 
plundered  and  burned  it.  The  next  morning  an  Indian  chief,  Chandonais,  who  was  a  half-breed, 
having  possession  of  Captain  Heald  as  a  prisoner,  sought  out  the  captor  of  Mrs.  Heald  and  pur- 
chased her.  She  had  supposed  that  her  husband  was  killed.  Chandonais  took  Mrs.  Heald  to  her 
husband.  She  had  received  six  wounds.  When  the  Indians  were  leading  her  away  as  a  prisoner, 
one  of  the  squaws  attempted  to  take  a  blanket  from  her,  when  she,  with  her  riding-whip,  struck  her 
several  times,  which  act  of  bravery,  under  the  circumstances,  greatly  excited  the  admiration  of  the 
Indians.  The  next  day  Chandonais  took  all  the  warriors  with  him  for  the  purpose,  it  was  said,  of 
burning  a  prisoner,  leaving  Captain  Heald  and  wife  in  charge  of  the  squaws  and  a  small  Indian 
boy.  That  evening,  through  the  assistance  of  the  boy  who  accompanied  them,  and  probably  with 
the  assent  of  Chandonais.  they  made  their  escape  in  a  birch-bark  canoe  to  Mackinaw,  and  finally  to 
Detroit,  when  Captain  Heald  surrendered  himself  as  a  prisoner  of  war. 

This  narrative  calls  for  a  little  sifting.  In  the  first  place,  we  have 
Captain  Heald's  own  report,  showing  his  immediate  advance  up  the 
bank  and  charge  upon  the  Indians,  and  showing  no  endeaver  "to 


74  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

mass  his  wagons,"  etc.,  for  a  better  defense.  In  the  next  place  the  cir- 
cumstances of  brave  Captain  Wells'  death  are  quite  different  from  those 
given  by  Mrs.  Helm.  Mrs.  Heald's  account  appears  most  credible.  In 
the  third  place,  this  narrative  ignores  the  stay  of  the  fugitives  at  St. 
Joseph  before  going  to  Mackinaw  ;  a  matter  of  but  small  moment. 

It  was  at  this  interesting  point  of  the  narrative  that  Mr.  Went- 
worth  paused  and  surprised  his  audience  by  the  presentation  of  Darius 
Heald,  who  was  received  with  great  cheering. 

He  exhibited  a  large  ornamented  shawl  or  blanket  pin  into  the  rim 
of  which  the  Indians  had  made  a  hole  so  as  to  wear  it  in  the  ear  or  nose. 
This  might  have  been  made  by  John  Kinzie;  "  Shaw-nee-aw-kee  ;  the 
HHne'akiamU,88i.  silversmith."  He  then  exhibited  his  mother's  bridal  comb,  a  shell  cut 
in  the  shape  of  an  eagle,  plenteously  studded  with  gold  to  represent  the 
eagle's  wings.  Mr.  Heald  said  he  had  heard  his  mother  say  that,  whilst 
she  was  writhing  on  the  ground  with  pain  from  her  many  wounds,  she 
saw  an  Indian  chief  strutting  about  with  that  comb  in  his  hair. 

Difficulties  multiply  as  we  go  on  trying  to  reconcile  Mrs.  Helm's 
story  as  reported  by  Mrs.  Kinzie  with  other  narratives,  with  itself  and 
with  probability.  Mrs.  Kinzie  distinguishes  it  (beginning  at  page  224) 
by  quotation  marks,  starting  each  new  paragraph  by  new  marks.  But 
a  little  further  on  (page  235)  the  narrative  (still  using  the  quotation 
marks)  begins  to  speak  of  Mrs.  Helm  in  the  third  person,  and  describes 
her  anew  as  Mr.  Kinzie's  step-daughter,  who  had  recently  come  to  the 
post  and  was  personally  unknown  to  some  of  the  Indians.  The  inter- 
nal evidence  indicates  that  Mrs.  Helm's  tale  stops  at  the  point  where  the 
killing  of  five  more  of  the  wounded  is  announced  as  before  mentioned. 
That  is  the  last  place  wherein  the  pronoun  "  I  "  is  used.  The  following 
pages,  in  Waubun  are  probably  a  resume  of  the  traditions  of  the  Kinzie 
family. 

All  the  narratives  upon  examination  and  comparison  appear  con- 
fused and  contradictory.  For  instance,  a  letter  from  "  Buffaloe,"  dated 
March  8th,  and  published  in  Niles  Weekly  Register  (Baltimore),  of  Sat- 
urday, April  3,  1813,  says  that  Mrs.  Helm,  wife  of  Lieutenant  Helm, 
who  escaped  the  butchery  of  the  garrison  of  "Chicauga  "  by  the  assistance 
ted  to  Mrs.  of  humane  Indians  had  arrived  at  "  Buffaloe,"  and  adds  that  the  account 

Helm. 

of  her  sufferings  during  three  months' slavery  among  the  Indians  and 
three  months'  imprisonment  among  their  allies  would  make  a  most  inter- 
esting volume  The  correspondent  will  mention  one  circumstance 
alone : 

During  five  days  after  she  was  taken  prisoner  she  had  not  the  least  sustenance  and  was  com- 
pelled to  drag  a  canoe  ^barefooted  and  wading  along  the  stream)  in  which  were  three  squaws,  and 
when  she  demanded  food  some  flesh  of  her  murdered  countrymen  and  a  piece  of  Colonel  Wells' 
heart  was  offered  her. 


MADE  A  SOLITUDE  AND  CALLED  IT  PEACE. 


75 


Now  turning  back  to  Mrs.  Kinzie's  narrative,  in  the  quoted  part,  we 
find  Mrs.  Helm,  after  the  battle  was  over,  again  in  the  Kinzie  mansion 
disguised  in  the  dress  of  a  French  woman,  conducted  by  Black  Partridge 
to  the  house  of 
Ouillemette, 
later  hidden  and 
nearly  smother- 
ed under  a  feath- 
er bed,  and  on 
the  third  day  af- 
ter the  battle  ac- 
companying her 
parents,  the 
Kinzies,  to  St. 
Joseph,  where 
she  staid  with 
the  Pottawatto- 
mie  chief  Robin- 
son for  several 
months,  being 
treated  with  all 
possible  k  i  n  d- 
ness  and  hospi- 
tality. Thence 

she  went  to  De- 
troit OLD    KINZIE    HOUSE. 

After  their  arrival  at  Detroit,  Mrs.  Helm  was  joined  by  her  husband,  where  they  were  both 
arrested  by  the  British  commander  and  sent  on  horse-back,  in  the  dead  of  winter,  through  Canada 
to  Fort  George  on  the  Niagara  frontier.  .  .  Notwithstanding  their  long  and  fatiguing  journey.  . 

Mrs.  H.,  a  delicate  woman  of  seventeen  years,  was  permitted  to  sit  waiting  on  htr  saddle, 
without  the  gate,  for  more  than  an  hour.  .  .  By  an  exchange  of  prisoners  they  were  liberated 
and  found  means  to  reach  their  friends  in  Steuben  county,  N.  Y. 

This  accounts  for  her  presence  at  "  Buffaloe,"  but  where  do  the  five 
days  of  starvation,  the  canoe,  the  bare  feet  in  the  brook,  the  bit  of  Cap- 
tain Wells'  heart,  etc.,  come  in?  Did  the  correspondent  make  it  up  out 
of  whole  cloth  ?  Did  he  take  her  tale  of  the  sufferings  of  others  anc' 
report  it  as  her  personal  adventures  ?  Or,  did  the  little  lady  with  her 
rugged  and  terrible  experiences  and  her  seventeen  years  have  also  a 
cumulative  memory  and  a  colossal  imagination? 

The  other  account  (at  second  hand),  was  sent  to  Mr.  Wentworth 
by  Mr.  A.  H.  Edwards,  of  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  and  is  published  in  the  His- 
torical series  No.  1 6,  p.  54.  It  bears  internal  evidence  of  authenticity 
and  reads  as  follows  : 


76  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

I  am  acquainted  with  some  facts  derived  from  conversations  with  one  who  was  there  and 
witnessed  the  fight  and  killing  of  many  of  those  who  lost  their  lives  on  that  memorable  day.  She 
Tradition  hand-  was  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  soldiers  and  was  one  of  the  children  who,  with  her  mother  and  sister, 
cddownbyA.  occupied  one  of  the  wagons  that  was  to  convey  them  from  the  fort.  She  told  me  she  saw  her  father 
when  he  fell,  and  also  saw  many  others.  She,  with  her  mother  and  sister,  were  prisoners  among  the 
Indians  for  nearly  two  years,  and  were  finally  taken  to  Mackinac  and  sold  to  the  traders  and  sent  to 
Detroit.  On  our  arrival  at  Detroit  in  1816,  this  girl  was  taken  into  our  family,  and  was  then  about 
thirteen  years  old  and  had  been  scalped.  She  said  a  young  Indian  came  to  the  wagon  where  she 
was,  grabbed  her  by  the  hair  and  pulled  her  out  of  the  wagon,  and  she  fought  him  the  best  she  knew 
how,  scratching  and  biting  until  finally  he  threw  her  down  and  scalped  her.  She  was  so  frightened, 
she  was  not  aware  of  it  until  the  blood  ran  down  her  face.  An  old  squaw  interfered  and  prevented 
her  from  being  tomahawked  by  the  Indian,  she  going  with  the  squaw  to  her  wigwam,  and  wae  taken 
care  of  and  her  head  cured.  This  squaw  was  the  one  that  came  often  to  their  house.  The  bare  spot  on 
the  top  of  her  head  was  about  the  size  of  a  silver  dollar.  .  .  .  The  person  was  Isabella  Cooper. 
Her  account,  as  given  to  me,  and  also  her  mother's,  was  that  as  soon  as  the  soldiers  were  disposed 
of,  the  Indians  made  a  rush  for  the  wagons  where  the  women  and  children  were.  .  .  She  saw  her 
father's  scalp  in  the  hands  of  one  of  the  Indians  afterwards.  He  had  sandy  hair.  .  .  .  She  saw 
Wells  when  he  fell  from  his  horse,  and  his  face  was  painted. 

As  already  told,  Mr.  Kinzie("Shaw-nee-aw-kee")  found  himself  once 
more  in  the  mansion,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  main  river,  about  where 
the  junction  of  Pine  and  Kinzie  streets  now  is.  Thither  came  his  family, 
whose  canoe  had  turned  back  from  the  river  mouth  (Jackson  street),  and 
Mrs.  Heald,  who  had  been,  with  difficulty  and  danger,  saved  and  hidden 
in  the  canoe,  crying  and  groaning  with  six  or  seven  bullet  wounds.  Mrs. 
Helm,  too,  sought  refuge  there ;  also  one  of  the  garrison  who  had 
escaped  the  general  fate.  The  two  last-named  were  disguised  as  "  Weem- 
tee-gosh  "  (French  engages),  and  were  thus  able  to  pass  as  part  of  the 
Kinzie  family.  This  was  not  without  dreadful  perils,  for  the  house 
was  visited  by  angry  savages  from  the  Wabash,  arrived  too  late  for  the 
blood,  the  scalps  and  the  spoil,  and  determined  not  to  depart  empty- 
handed.  Just  when  the  situation  seemed  hopeless;  sulky  red-skins  in 
their  war  paint  all  about,  and  when  even  the  faithful  Black  Partridge 
had  lost  all  hope,  help  came.  Mrs.  Kinzie  says: 

At  this  moment  a  friendly  war-whoop  was  heard  from  a  party  of  newcomers  on  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  river.     Black  Partridge  sprang  to  meet  their  leader.     "Whoareyou?"    "Aman.    Who 
are  you  ?"     "  A  man,  like  yourself;  but  tell  me  who  you  are  ?"     "  I  am  the  Sauganash  !  "     [English- 
man.!    "  Then  make  all  haste  to  the  house.     Your  friend   is   in  danger;  you  alone    can  save  him." 
Sauganash  to 
the  rescue.      Billy  Caldwell* — for  it  was   he — entered  with  a  calm   step   and  without  a    trace   of  agitation.     He 

deliberately  took  off  his  accoutrements  and  placed  them  with  his  rifle  behind  the  door,  then  saluted 
the  hostile  savages; 

"  How  now,  my  friends  !  A  good  day  to  you  !  I  was  told  there  were  enemies  here;  but  I 
am  glad  to  find  only  friends.  Why  have  you  blackened  your  faces  ?  Is  it  that  you  are  mourning 
for  the  friends  you  lost  in  battle  ?  Or  is  it  that  you  are  fasting?  If  so,  ask  our  friend  here  and  he  will 
give  you  to  eat.  He  is  the  Indians'  friend,  and  never  yet  refused  them  what  they  had  need  of." 

Thus  taken  b>  surprise,  the  savages  were  ashamed  to  acknowledge  their  bloody  purpose-. 
They,  therefore,  said  modestly  that  they  had  come  to  beg  of  their  friends  some  white  cotton  in  which 
to  wrap  their  dead. 

*  Half-breed  son  (by  a  beautiful  Pottawattomie  girl)  of  Colonel  Caldwell,  an  Irish  officer  in  the  British  army.  Born 
at  Detroit  about  1780;  educated  at  a  Jesuit  school ;  fought  for  the  English  \\  the  War  of  1812 ;  tall, strong,  able,  bold; 
secretary  to  Tecumseh  ;  later  a  chief  of  the  Pottawattomics ;  stout  enemy  and  faithful  friend ;  long  a  resident  of  Chicago ; 
made  justice  of  the  peace  in  1826  ;  had  1.600  acres  of  land  granted  him  on  the  North  Branch  about  six  miles  from  the  main 
riTer;  helped  in  the  great  removal  of  Indians  in  1836 :  died  at  their  new  home.  Council  Bluffs,  September  18, 1841. 


THEY  MADE  A  SOLITUDE  AND  CALLED  IT  PEACE.  77 

Although  Billy  Caldwell,  "  The  Sauganash,"  was  an  aid  to  Tecum- 
seh  and  fought  through  the  war  on  the  English  side,  yet,  on  this  and 
other  occasions  he  showed  himself  to  have  a  heart  white  rather  than 
red;  and,  the  war  once  over,  he  was  a  firm,  strong  and  consistent  friend 
of  the  race  of  his  father.  No  portrait  of  him  is  known  to  exist,  but 
through  Mr.  Hurlbut  we  are  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  a  fac-simile  of 
his  signature. 


Three  days  after  the  massacre  the  Kinzie  family,  thus  increased  by 
the  few    refugees  who    had  joined    them,    resumed    their  interrupted 
journey  across  the  lake  to  St.  Joseph.    There  they  were  kindly  enter- TheKmzies 
tained    by    Robinson    (Che-chee-bing-way)    the    Pottawattomie    chief.    battie!hc 
With  them,  finally,  were  Captain  Heald  and  his  wife,  with  their  many 
and  grievous  wounds ;  also  Mrs.  Helm,  whose  husband  was  later  freed 
by  his  captors  and  joined  her  at  Detroit,  as  elsewhere  told. 

Mr.  Kinzie  made  a  few  brave  efforts  to  secure  some  fragments  of 
his  scattered  possessions.  His  daughter-in-law,  in  Waubun,  says  that  in 
his  excursions  in  this  business  he  wore  the  costume  and  paint  of  the 
tribe  in  order  to  escape  capture  and  death  at  the  hands  of  those  still 
thirsting  for  blood.  She  does  not  say  what  success  he  had — doubtless 
pitifully  small.  Then  he  followed  his  family  to  Detroit,  where  he  was 
received  as  prisoner  of  war  by  the  British  General,  Proctor,  paroled,  and 
later  re-arrested  and  confined  at  Fort  Maiden,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Detroit  river,  where,  according  to  Mrs.  Kinzie,  he  had  another  thrilling 
experience : 

On  the  tenth  of  September,  as  he  was  taking  his  promenade  under  a  guard  of  soldiers,  the 
whole  party  were  startled  by  the  sound  of  guns  on  Lake  Erie,  at  no  great  distance  below.  What 
could  it  mean?  It  must  be  Commodore  Barclay  firing  into  some  of  the  Yankees.  The  firing  con- 
tinued. .  .  Neither  he  nor  his  guard  observed  the  lapse  of  time,  so  anxiously  were  they  listening  to 
what  they  now  felt  sure  was  an  engagement  between  ships  of  war.  .  .  .  "Let  me  stay."  said  he, 
"  till  we  can  learn  how  the  battle  has  gone."  Very  soon  a  sloop  appeared  under  a  press  of  sail,  round- 
ing the  point,  and  presently  two  gunboats  in  chase  of  her. 

"She  is  running — she  bears  the  British  colors — she  is  striking  her  flag!  Now,"  turning  to 
the  soldiers  "  1  will  go  back  to  prison  contented.  I  know  how  the  battle  has  gone!"  The  sloop 
was  the  Little  Belt,  the  last  of  the  squadron  captured  by  the  gallant  Perry  on  that  memorable  occa- 
sion. ..."  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  are  ours." 

Many  and  various  are  the  scattered  narratives,  anecdotes  and  tra- 
ditions of  the  dark  years  following  the  destruction  of  the  first  effort  to 
occupy  the  wild  Garlick  Portage.  Probably  every  hardship  reported 
was  true  of  some  person  at  some  time.  Certainly  many  of  them  are 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


ALEXANDER    ROBINSON    (IN  OLD  AGE), 
Chief  of  the  Pottawattomies.  Chippewa  and  others. 


not  true  as  to  the  identical  persons  named.  The  safe  plan  is  to  "shun 
around"  the  quicksands  of  doubt  and  uncertainty  and  return  to  the 
unquestioned  record  ;  though  by  so  doing  we  miss  some  charming  sto- 
ries of  Mrs.  Kinzie's; 
romantic,  pathetic,  trag- 
ic. All  should  read 
them  in  "Waubun." 

The  bitter  fight  is 
over.  The  dead  have 
got  through  with  their 
agony ;  the  survivors 
have  begun  their  terri- 
ble experience  of  cap- 
tivity. The  bodies  of 
the  slain  lie  unburied 
where  they  fell ;  proba- 
bly some  within  a 
stone's  throw,  and  all 
within  a  rifle-shot,  of 
the  "  Massacre  Tree," 
in  Eighteenth  street  I 
all,  that  is,  except  the 

wounded  prisoners  carried  down  to  the  Indian  village — to  the  place 
where  Chicago  women  now  do  their  shopping — and  there  slain  by  inches 
for  their  captors'  delight. 

The  fort  is  burned;  the  Kinzie  m'ansion  deserted;  the  Indians 
themselves  scattered  afar,  for  it  is  only  where  the  carcase  is  that  the 
young  eagles  are  gathered  together.  The  carcase  is  used  up.  They 
have  killed  the  goose  that  laid  the  golden  egg ;  the  last  of  their  spoil 
816,  De2soia-  is  wasted,  the  last  surviving  prisoner  ransomed  and  his  ransom  squan- 
dered— what  can  they  do  next  ?  Go  to  work  ?  Out  of  the  question  t 
Kill  and  rob  another  settlement  ?  Yes  ;  if  they  could  only  find  one. 
Doubtless  they  do  what  they  can  not  help  doing,  half  do  it,  half  starve, 
half  live  on  carrion,  and  pray  the  Great  Spirit  to  send  them  a  new  sup- 
ply of  palefaces.  One  white  man  remains;  Ouillemette,  who  lives  with 
his  Indian  wife  and  half-breed  children  in  his  cottage,  or  in  the  Kinzie 
mansion,  or  wherever  he  will.  There  is  room  enough  in  the  vast  soli- 
tude. All  is  once  more  as  lonely  as  it  was  when  Joliet  and  La  Salle 
encamped  on  the  stream  "  convenient  to  the  portage  "  a  century  and 
a  half  before. 

It  is  1816.  Nearly  four  years  have  passed  since  that  wild 
debauch  of  delight  to  the  many  and  death  to  the  few.  The  persist- 
ent whites  are  coming  again  to  the  spot  where,  in  spite  of  war,  pes- 
tilence and  famine,  fine  and  flood,  Chicago  is  to  stand. 


From  1812  to 
1816, 
tion. 


CHAPTER  X. 


AFTER    DARKNESS,    LIGHT. 


HAVERS  have  beautiful  fur,  luckily  for  the 
speedy  settlement  of  the  West,  and  unluckily 
for  the  beaver.  Where  this  harmless,  exem- 
plary pattern  of  industry  and  ingenuity 
dwells,  thither  comes  his  enemy,  man,  bent 
on  his  destruction  and  taking  the  cruelest  of 
methods  to  compass  it,  for  he  uses  the 
beaver's  impulse  of  well-doing  to  betray  him. 
He  baits  his  trap  with  the  victim's  sense  of 
.duty.  He  makes  a  breach  in  the  dam  which 
the  colony  of  rodents  has  toilsomely  built, 
well  knowing  that  as  soon  as  he  departs  the 
eagerly  dutiful  builders  will  rush  to  repair 
the  injury;  then  he  sets  the  horrid  steel  jaws 
around  the  spot  where  the  work  must  be  done!  It  is  like  using  a 
baby's  cry  to  draw  its  mother  into  an  ambush.  Well  does  the  poet 
declare  beauty  to  be  a  fatal  gift.  The  beaver,  the  buffalo  and  the  seal 
are  doomed  to  perish,  while  the  porcupine  and  the  rat  endure. 

Up  to  a  score  of  years  after  1810,  there  could  have  been  no  agri- 
cultural immigration  to  northern  Illinois.  The  Indians  were  still  here  ; 
and,  though  six  miles  square,  including  Chicago,  had  been  ceded  to  the 
government  (treaty  of  Greenville,  1795),  even  that  was  unoccupied, 
save  by  Indians  and  a  few  half-breeds  like  Ouillemette.  Possibly,  too, 
Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien,  who  married  Josette  La  Framboise,  may  have 
lived  in  the  Kinzie  house  before  the  return  of  John  Kinzie  in  1816. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  but  that  Josette  La  Framboise  Beaubien  is  the 
person  mentioned  as  "  Grutte  "  in  the  Waubun  narrative.  No  such  name 
as  the  latter  is  known  in  either  language,  and  Josette,  coarsely  written, 
may  well  be  mistaken  for  Grutte  ;  for  example: 


Years  following 
the  Massacre. 


8o 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


If  this  be  accepted,  it  shows  that  Mrs.  Kinzie  must  have  had  some 
written  record  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  her  narrative,  for  by  sound 
"  Josette"  could  never  have  been  transmuted  to  "  Grutte,"  whereas  in 
manuscript  the  two  are  easily  confused. 

We  present  the  picture  of  the  new  fort  as  given  in  Waubun.  This 
view  was  criticised  by  Mr.  Hubbard  ;  chiefly  regarding  the  tortuous 
course  given  by  it  to  the  river.  But  the  general  facts  of  the  scene 
are  doubtless  preserved. 


NEW  FORT  AND  RIVER,  AS  GIVEN  IN  WAUBUN. 


Canal. 


In  1814,  President  Madison,  in  a  message  to  Congress,  recommended 
to"™*  ship  to  its  attention  the  importance  of  a  ship  canal  to  connect  Lake  Michi- 
gan, at  Chicago,  with  the  Illinois  and  the  Mississippi,  the  mouth  of  which 
latter  we  had  obtained  by  the  cession  of  Louisiana  (Blanchard,  p.  317), 
and  it  was  in  pursuance  of  this  policy  that  the  post  was  re-established. 
Captain  Hezekiah  Bradley  with  two  companies  arrived  July  4,  1816, 
and  at  once  proceeded  to  rebuild  the  fort  over  the  charred  remains  of 
its  predecessor.  At  the  same  time  he  collected  the  bones  of  the 
massacred  victims  and  buried  them  in  the  garrison  cemetery  which  was 
in  what  is  now  the  Lake  Front  park. 

The  second  Fort  Dearborn  was  a  square  stockade  inclosing  bar- 
racks, officers'  quarters,  magazine  and  provision  store.  It  had  bastions 
(angular  earth-works)  at  the  northwest  and  southeast  angles  and  a 
block-house  at  the  southwest.  This  block-house  stood,  the  last  relic  of 
the  fort,  up  to  1857,  when  it  gave  way  to  the  march  of  improvement. 
Its  location  (as  before  mentioned)  was  at  about  the  spot  now  marked 


AFTER  DARKNESS,  LIGHT. 


by  a  fine  tablet,  set  (  1881)  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  in  the  north  wall 
of  Hoyt's  grocery  warehouse,  facing  the  south  end  of  Rush  street  bridge. 
This  is  one  of  the  innumerable  services  rendered  to  Chicago  by  the 
Historical  Society.  The  old  block-house,  surviving  as  it  did  down  to 
1857,  is  a  pleasant  memory  to  thousands  of  the  Chicagoans  of  to-day 


THK   BLOCKHOUSE    IN    ITS    LAST    DAYS. 

The  first  business  established  here  after  the  re-occupation  was,  of 
course,  the  fur  trade,  a  business  degrading  to  all  parties  connected  with 
it.  The  Indian  trapped  the  beaver,  the  pale-face  trapped  the  Indian, 
using  for  bait  not  duty  but  drink.  To  quote  from  a  letter  written  in 
1695  from  Cadillac,  commandant  at  Michilimackinac,  to  a  friend  in 
Quebec:  (Hurlbut's  Chicago  Antiquities,  p.  in.) 

What  reason  can  one  assign  that  the  savages  should  not  drink  brandy  bought  with  their  own 
money?  .  .  .  This  prohibition  has  much  discouraged  the  Frenchmen  here  from  trading  in  the  future. 
It  seems  very  strange  that  they  should  pretend  tlial  the  savages  would  ruin  themselves  by 
drinking.  The  savage  himself  asks  why  they  do  not  leave  him  in  his  beggary,  his  liberty  and  his  idle- 
ness; he  was  born  in  it  and  he  wishes  to  die  in  it — it  is  a  life  to  which  he  has  been  accustomed  since 
Adam.  Do  they  wish  him  to  build  palaces  and  ornament  them  with  beautiful  furniture  ?  He  would 
not  exchange  his  wigwam  and  the  mat  on  which  he  camps  like  a  monkey  for  the  Louvre! 

In  1803,  William  Burnett,  of  St.  Joseph,  writes  (Hurlbut,  p.  70): 

Mostly  all  the  skins  that  were  made  at  this  post  was  in  part  for  rum.  Consequently,  had  I 
mine,  I  might  have  got  my  share  of  what  was  going,  and  that  for  the  best  peltries. 

At  the  agency  dwelling  of  the  American  Fur  Company  (John  Jacob 
Astor)  at  Mackinaw  in  1821  the  expense  account  shows  "31^  gallons 
Teneriffe  wine,  4^  gallons  of  port  wine,  10  gallons  of  best  Madeira,  7^ 
gallons  of  red  wine,  9  gallons  of  brandy  and  one  barrel  of  flour."  This 
recalls  irresistibly  Falstaff's  "one  pennyworth  of  bread  to  all  this  intol- 
erable quantity  of  sack."  Mr  Hurlbut  says  of  the  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy, 
whose  work,  "  History  of  the  Baptist  Indian  Missions,"  was  published 
in  1840,  that  he  was  a  man  of  ability,  who  ignored  self  and  devoted  his 
life  to  the  cause  of  humanity  in  the  service  of  his  Divine  Master.  Mr. 


Rum  and   the 
Fur  Trade. 


82 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


McCoy  and  his  wife  spent  laborious  years  among  the  Indians,  facing 
danger  as  well  as  hardship  and  privation.  He  entered  on  the  service  as 
early  as  1817,  was  active  (though  not  present)  in  the  Chicago  Indian 


IS  BUILDING  OCCUPIES  THE  SITE  OF  OL 
BRT  DEARBORN.  WHICH  EXTENDED  *  ','TTLE 
ACROSS  HIGH.  WE.  AND  SOMEWHAT  WTO  THE 
RIVER  AS  IT  NOW  <S. 

THE  FORT  WAS  BUILT  IN  1803  ft +.  FORKING 
OUR  OUTMOST  DEFENSC 

;  "BY  ORDER  or  GEN.  wiii  IT  WAS  EVACUATED  AUC 

I5.WIZ,  AFTER  ITS  STORES  AND  PROVISIONS 
HAD  BEEN  DISTRIBUTES  AMONC  THE  INDIANS. 
VERY  SOON  AFTER  THE  INDIANS  ATTACKED  AM 
WSSICRCD  ABOUT  FIFTY  OF  THE  TROOPS  AND 
LUDINC  WOMEN  AND 
CHILDREN  AND  NEXT  DAY  BURNED  THE  TORT. 
IK  1616 IT  VMS  RE-BUUT.BUT  AFTIR  THf  BUCK 
HAftK,  WAR  IT  WENT  INTO  CRAOIWL  DISUSE  Mtt 
III  MOT  1S37  YttSABANCJNEO  BY  THE  ARMY  BUT 
Wl£  OCCUPIED  BY  VARIOUS  CGVtM!r=NT  OFFICERS 

TU,m7viiKiin«NCTi)niMWLcxc(rnB  A 

Kn  STOOD  UPON  TH!5  SITE 
Till  THE  CREAT  FIRE  Of  OCT.  %  1871. 

THE  SUGGESTION  OF  THE  CHICAGO  HISTORIC 
MOO Y  THIS  TABLET  WAS  ERECTED  SY 
K6V.  I860  N.M.MCYT, 


TABLET  AHD  WALL. 


treaty  of  1821,  preached  what  was  probably  the  first  (Protestant)  ser- 
mon in  Chicago,  in  1825,  and  finally  helped  in  the  removal  of  the  Indians 
westward  in  1835  anc^  their  settlement  at  Council  Bluffs.  An  honora- 
ble record  !  After  the  treaty,  General  Lewis  Cass  (Governor  of  Michi- 
gan), who  negotiated  the  treaty,  wrote  Mr.  McCoy  as  follows: 


AFTER  DARKNESS,  LIGHT. 


All  attempts  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  Indians  must  prove  abortive  so  long  as  ardent 
spirits  are  freely  introduced  into  their  country.  .  .  .  One  fact  will  place  this  lamentable  evil  in  a 
clearer  point  of  view  than  the  most  labored  discussion.  At  the  treaty,  Topenebe,  the  principal  chief 
of  the  Putawatamies,  a  man  nearly  eighty  years  of  age,  irritated  by  the  continued  refusal  on  the  part 
of  the  commissioners  to  gratify  his  importunities  for  whiskey,  exclaimed,  in  the  presence  of  his  tribe: 
"  We  care  not  for  the  land,  the  money  or  the  goods;  it  is  the  whiskey  we  want,  give  us  the  whiskey." 

And  in  this  connection  Mr.  McCoy  adds  : 

After  the  business  of  the  treaty  was  completed  and  before  the  Indians  left  the  treaty  ground 
they  received  seven  barrels  of  whiskey;  and  within  twenty-four  hours  afterwards  ten  shocking  mur- 
ders were  committed  among  them. 

All  this  throws  a  bright  side-light  on  the  old  Indian  question.  The 
shallow  savages  mistook  their  friends  for  enemies,  their  enemies  for 
friends.  They  loved  the  poison  and  the  poisoner.  Their  grievance  at 
Fort  Dearborn  (if  they  had  any)  was  the  destruction  of  the  alcohol  in 
the  fort  and  in  possession  of  their  friend  Kinzie. 

In  1816  a  treaty  was  made  (at  St.  Louis)  with  the  Indians,  by 
which  a  strip  of  land,  including  Chicago,  was  obtained.  The  evident 
object  of  the  purchase  was  to  carry  out  the  suggestion  made  by  Madi- 
son for  the  opening  of  the  canal,  "to  connect  Buffalo  with  New  Orleans. " 
The  boundary  points  were  (in  general  terms),  first,  the  south  end  of 
Lake  Michigan;  second,  a  point  ten  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  Chi- 
cago river;  third,  a  point  on  Fox  river;  fourth,  the  junction  of  the  Fox 
and  Illinois;  and  fifth,  a  point  on  the  Kankakee,  ten  miles  above  its 
junction  with  the  Des  Plaines  to  form  the  Illinois. 

But  these  isolated  tracts  did  not  tend  to  establish  white  settlement, 
or  to  advance  the  growth  of  Chicago,  which  could  only  thrive  when  it 
should  have  a  vast  agricultural 
region  behind  it  to  create  its 
commerce.  In  1816,  the  trade 
in  furs  was  still  one  of  the 
most  profitable  in  the  country. 
John  Jacob  Astor  had  already 
made  a  fortune  by  it,  and  was 
at  the  height  of  his  prosecu- 
tion of  it.  Since  his  failure 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  through 
the  seizure  of  the  Columbia 
by  England  (see  Irving's 
Astoria),  he  had  turned  all 
his  attention  to  the  West, 
and  now  his  principal  frontier 
office  was  at  Mackinaw,  in 
charge  of  Ramsay  Crooks  and 
Robert  Stuart,  well-known  GURDON  s.  HUBBARr>(//w,*»r). 

Chicago    names,    and  names  leading  up    to  one  still    more    identified 


Slow  growth 
for  many 
years. 


84  THE  STORY  OF  CHfCAGO. 

with  all    that    is  ancient  and    honorable  with  us  —  Gordon  Saltonstall 
Hubbard. 

In  1818,  young  Hubbard  (sixteen  years  old)  indentured  himself  for 
five  years  to  the  American  Fur  Company  (John  Jacob  Astor's  enter- 
prise), and  about  November  I,  1818,  reached  Fort  Dearborn.  Here 
he  stayed  three  days  with  John  Kinzie,  at  the  North  Side  residence,  and 
then  the  party  pushed  on  westward,  up  the  South  Branch  to  Bridgeport, 
through  Mud  Lake  and  over  the  portage  into  the  Des  Plaines,  carrying 
their  packs  and  dragging  their  bateaux.  They  launched  their  craft  and 
floated  down  the  Illinois  to  the  mouth  of  the  Bureau  river,  where  Mr. 
Hubbard  was  assigned  to  duty.  They  did  not  see  a  white  man  between 
Chicago  and  the  Bureau.  They  spent  the  winter  trading  with  the  Indians, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1819  they  paddled  the  bateaux,  now  loaded  with 
furs,  all  the  weary  way  up  to  Lake  Michigan  and  on  to  Mackinaw. 
There  the  peltries  were  packed  and  forwarded  to  New  York,  where  their 
values  swell  the  great  Astor  fortune  of  to-day. 

Hubbard's  next  visit  to  Chicago  was  in  1821,  when  he  found  there 
the  same  inhabitants  as  before;  including  Kinzies  and  Ouillemettes. 

From  that  time  to  our  own  days  —  up  to  within  four  years  of  the 
present  writing  —  the  life  of  "Our  Gurdon,"  as  he  was  affectionately 
called,  was  a  part,  and  a  large  part,  of  our  civic  history.  Here  were  his 
headquarters  for  interior  trading,  for  importations  and  for  shipments. 
Eastern  goods  came  West,  and  Western  products,  beginning  with  furs  and 
ending  with  flour,  went  East  through  his  Chicago  establishment. 
Everybody  knew  him  and  he  knew  everybody  in  the  good  old  simple- 
hearted  ways  of  the  time  and  place.  In  1827  he  bought  from  "Big 
Foot,"  the  chief  of  the  Pottowattomies,  at  Lake  Geneva,  fifty  ponies, 
which  he  loaded  with  "  trading  goods  "  and  led  due  south  to  the  Wabash 
river,  establishing  "  trading  posts"  all  along  the  line.  The  path  he  thus 
made  and  traveled  was  known  as  "  Hubbard's  Trail,"  and  for  many  a 
year  was  the  road  and  the  only  road  along  the  now  prosperous  and 
crowded  country  traversed  by  the  Eastern  Illinois  railway.  He  made 
his  inland  station  at  Danville,  but  his  own  time  was  spent  on  the  trail, 
"his  home  was  in  the  saddle." 

A  letter  written  by    Mr.    Hubbard    to    Mr.    Ballance  (History  of 

Peoria)  gives  a  vivid  picture  of  the  times  of  1818  ;  a  startling  picture, 

when  we  consider  that  the  occurrence  was  the  experience  of  a  man  who 

bards' early   has  been  an  intimate  friend  to  those  now  living  in  Chicago;  a  man  who 

experiences. 

died  among  us  so  late  as  1887.     He  says  : 

.  .  .  I  was  in  Peoria  in  1 818.  As  we  rounded  the  point  of  the  lake  above  Peoria  we  noticed 
that  old  Fort  Clark  was  on  fire — just  blazing  up.  Reaching  it  we  found  about  200  Indians  congregated, 
enjoying  a  war  dance,  painted  hideously,  with  scalps  on  their  spears  and  in  their  sashes,  which  they 
had  taken  from  the  heads  in  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  from  1812  to  1815.  They  were  dancing, 
rehearsing  their  deeds  of  bravery,  etc.  These  were  the  only  people  then  there  or  in  that  vicinity  .  . 
A  warrior,  noticing  me  (then  a  boy  of  16),  asked  Mr.  Des  Champs  who  I  was.  He  replied  that 


AFTER  DARKNESS,  LIGHT. 


I  was  his  adopted  son,  just  from  Montreal;  but  this  was  not  credited.  The  Indian  said  I  was  a, 
young  American  and  seemed  disposed  to  quarrel  with  me.  .  .  The  Indian  remained  in  the  bow 
of  the  boat,  talking  to  me  through  this  man,  who  interpreted,  saying  among  other  things  that  I  was 
an  American,  and  taking  from  his  sash  scalp  after  scalp,  saying  they  were  my  nations.  He  saw 
that  I  was  frightened.  I  was  never  more  so  in  my  life — fairly  trembling  with  fear.  His  last  effort 
to  insult  me  was  taking  a  lung  haired  scalp  *  *  *  made  it  very  wet  *  *  *  and  then  shaking 
it  so  that  it  sprinkled  me  in  the  face.  In  a  moment  all  fear  left  me  and  I  seized  Mr.  Des  Champs' 
double-barreled  gun,  took. good  aim  and  fired.  The  man  .  .  .  just  as  I  pulled  the  trigger, 
struck  up  the  gun  and  thereby  saved  the  life  of  the  Indian  and  perhaps  mine  also.  .  .  .  Des 
Champs  and  all  our  men  came  running  to  their  boats.  After  a  short  consultation  among  the  old 
traders,  Des  Champs  ordered  the  boats  to  push  out  and  we  descended  the  stream  three  or  four  miles 
and  camped  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  That  was  my  first  experience  of  hostile  array  with 
my  red  brethren.  Yours,  etc.,  G.  S.  HUBBARD.  (Blanchard's  Northwest,  p.  330  ) 

In  1817  Samuel   A.    Storrow,  Judge    Advocate   U.   S.   A.,  passed 
through  Fort  Dearborn,  and  describes  his  visit  as  follows  : 


SCHOOLCRAFT'S  VIEW  OF  CHICAGO  IN  1820. 

On  the  second  of  October,  after  walking  three  or  four  hours,  I  reached  the  River  Chicago,  and 
after  crossing  it  entered  Fort  Dearborn,  where  I  was  kindly  entertained  by  Major  Baker  and  the 
officers  of  the  garrison,  who  received  me  as  one  arrived  from  the  moon.  .  .  The  River  Chicago 
(or  in  English,  Wild  Onion  River),  is  deep,  and  about  forty  yards  in  width.  .  .  Traces  yet  remain 
of  the  devastation  and  massacre  committed  by  the  savages  in  1812.  I  saw  one  of  the  principal  per- 
petrators (N'es  cot-no  meg). 

Schoolcraft  (the  distinguished  Indian  chronicler)  writes  (1820) 
as  follows : 

We  found  the  post  (Fort  Dearborn),  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Bradley,  with  a  force  of  160 
men.  The  river  is  ...  utterly  choked  up  by  the  lake  sands,  through  which,  behind  a  masked 
margin,  it  oozes  its  way  for  a  mile  or  two,  till  it  percolates  through  the  sands  into  the  lake.  .  . 
I  took  the  sketch*  .  .  .  from  a  stand-point  on  the  flat  of  sand  which  stretched  in  front  of  the 
place.  This  view  embraces  every  house  in  the  village  with  the  fort;  and  if  the  reproduction  of  the 
artist  may  be  subjected  to  any  criticism,  it  is  perhaps  that  the  stockade  bears  too  great  a  proportion 
to  the  scene,  while  the  precipice  observed  in  the  shore-line  of  sand  is  wholly  wanting  in  the  original. 
.  .  .  Having  partaken  of  the  hospitalities  of  Mr.  Kinzie,  and  of  Captains  Bradley  and  Green, 
during  our  stay  at  Chicago  .  .  .  we  separated  .  .  .  Gov.  Cass and  his  party,  on  horseback, 

*  A  cony  of  this  r.':-:ch  h  herewith  presented,  by  permission  of  Mrs.  Hurlbut. 


86 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


General  Cass' 

Trratv  for 
Michigan  lands 


taking  the  old  Indian  trail  to  Detroit  .  .  .  myself,  with  two  canoes,  to  complete  the  circumnavi- 
gation of  the  lake.  .  .  Within  two  miles  of  Chicago  we  passed,  on  the  open  shores  of  the  lake, 
the  scene  of  the  massacre  of  1812. 

The  greatest  event  in  Chicago  during  the  third  decade  of  this  cen- 
tury was  the  treaty  of  1821.  This  compact  was  made  by  Lewis  Cass 
and  Solomon  Sibley,  as  Commissioners,  with  the  Ottawas,  Chippewas 
and  "  Pattiwatimias."  (Mr.  Schoolcraft  acted  as  Secretary  to  the  Com- 
missioners.) The  land  secured  was  a  tract  extending  from  Grand  River 

south  to  the  southernmost  point  of 
Lake  Michigan,  and  reaching  east- 
ward until  it  joined  with  the  pre- 
vious cessions  on  the  Detroit  and 
Maumee  in  1817.  Though  the  treaty 
did  not  include  Chicago,  it  gave 
her  a  continuous  way  to  the  sea- 
board for  the  first  time  in  her  history. 
The  price  paid  was  $1,000  a  year, 
forever,  to  the  Ottawas,  and  $5,000 
to  the  Pottawatomies ;  and  $2,5003 
year  for  a  term  of  years  to  provide 
instruction  in  blacksmithing,  agri- 
culture, etc.  The  treaty  shows  the 
names  of  sixty-four  Indians  (each 
ME-TEE-A.  spelt  out  in  English  letters  and  fol- 

lowed by  a  cross  made  by  the  Indians)  and  Lewis  Cass  and  Solomon 
Sibley;  all  being  witnessed 
by  sixteen  citizens,  among 
whom  we  recognize  Alex- 
ander Wolcott,*  John  B. 
Beaubien  and  John  Kinzie. 
By  some  unusual  good 
luck  we  have  (through  Mr. 
Hurlbut)  a  portrait  of  one  of 
the  Indian  signers,  Me-tee-a; 
who  opposed  the  transfer  of 
the  land  in  eloquent  words 
closing  as  follows :  "  Behold 
our  warriors,  our  women  and 
children.  Take  pity  on  us 
and  on  our  words."  Yet,/ 
after  all,  he  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  see  his  X  among  the 
rest.  He  sought  immortality,  and  lo  !  are  we  not  giving  it  to  him? 

•It  was  with  much  regret  that  livers  of  old  Chicago  saw  the  ancient  name  of  "  Wolcott''  changed  to  the  awk- 
ward "  North  State  "  street :  and  still  worse,  the  southern  pan  of  Wells  street,  named  for  the  heroic  Captain,  sacritised  to 
the  absurd  "  Fifth  Avenue." 


AFTER  DARKNESS,  LIGHT.  87 

We  give  also  a  portrait  of  Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien,  copied  from  a 
miniature  in  possession  of  the  family,  traditionally  said  to  be  taken 
for  that  pioneer. 

Still  no  growth  in  the  infant  metropolis.  From  1816  to  1830, 
Chicago  gained  only  some  twelve  or  fifteen  houses  and  a  population  of 
less  than  100.  (Chicago  Magazine,  May,  1857.)  In  1819  the  agency 
house  (called  "Cob-web  Castle"  for  reasons  easily  to  be  imagined, 
seeing  that  it  stood  vacant  for  long,  lonely  years),  was  built  at  about  the  Noithsw*, 

*>  J     J  '  1816101830. 

junction  of  State  and  North  Water  streets,  where  the  North-Western 
Railroad  freight  house  now  stands.  That  and  the  old  Kinzie  mansion 
(Pine  and  Kinzie  streets)  were  the  only  buildings  now  known  to  have 
stood  on  the  North  Side  in  those  days,  and  the  whole  tract  was  cov- 
ered with  trees.  Kinzie  had  inclosed  a  field  on  the  North  Branch  near 
where  Chicago  avenue  now  crosses  it,  which  he  cultivated  for  hay- 
making. That  John  Kinzie  had  never  regained  the  comfortable  compe- 
tency he  lost  in  1812  we  may  know  from  the  following  letter,  written  in 
1821,  to  his  son  (John  H.)  at  Mackinaw,  when  the  latter  was  indentured 
to  the  American  Fur  Company. 

Nothing  gives  me  more  satisfaction  than  to  hear  from  you  and  of  you.  It  does  give 
both  myself  and  your  mother  a  pleasure  to  hear  how  your  conduct  is  talked  of  by  everyone  that  hopes 
you  every  advantage.  Rather  let  that  stimulate  you  to  continue  the  worthy  man,  for  a  good  name 
is  better  than  wealth  and  we  can  not  be  too  circumspect  in  our  line  of  conduct.  .  .  I  have  been 
reduced  in  wages,  owing  to  the  economy  of  the  Government.  My  interpreter's  salary  is  no  more 
and  I  have  but  fioo  to  subsist  on.  It  does  work  me  hard  sometimes  to  provide  for  your  sisters  and 
brothers  on  this  and  maintain  my  family  in  a  decent  manner.  I  will  have  to  take  new  measures. 
I  hate  to  change  houses,  but  I  have  been  requested  to  wait  Conant's  arrival.  We  are  all  mighty 
busy,  as  the  treaty  commences  to-morrow  and  we  have  hordes  of  Indians  around  us  already.  Adieu 
I  am  your  loving  father. 


This  is  said  to  be  the  only  letter  of  John  Kinzie's  known  to  exist. 
(A  large  and  invaluable  collection  of  his  papers  were,  in  1857,  given  to 
the  Historical  Society  by  John  H.  Kinzie,  and  perished  with  the  His- 
torical Society  building  in  the  great  fire  of  1871.)  No  portrait  of  him 
has  ever  been  found. 

He  assisted  in  negotiating  the  treaty  of  1821  before  mentioned; 
addressing  the  Indians  to  reconcile  them  to  it,  and  signing  it  as  sub- 
agent,  which  post  he  filled  under  his  son-in-law,  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott, 
Indian  agent.  In  1825  he  was  appointed  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Peoria 
county.  About  1827  he  finally  quitted  the  old  home. 

Captain  Andreas'  remarks  on  John  Kinzie's  characteristics  are  as 
follows: 

The  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Kinzie  was  held  by  the  Indians  is  shown  by  the  treaty  made  with 
the  Pottawatomies  September  20,  1828,  the  year  of  his  death,  by  one  provision  of  which  they  gave  to 
Eleanor  Kinzie  and  her  four  children  by  the  late  John  Kinzie  $3,500.  in  consideration  of  the  attach- 


88 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


ment  of  the  Indians  to  her  deceased  husband,  who  was  long  an  Indian  trader,  and  who  lost  a  large 
sum  in  the  trade  by  the  credits  given  them  and  also  by  the  destruction  of  his  property.  The  money  is 
in  lieu  of  a  tract  of  land  which  the  Indians  gave  the  late  John  Kinzie  long  since  and  upon  which  he 
lived. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Indians  had  a  warm  feeling  for  the 
Kinzies.  At  the  same  time  it  seems  probable  that  the  treaty  in  question, 
like  all  other  treaties,  was  carefully  arranged  by  the  whites  and  submitted 
to  the  Indians  for  ratification.  The  Indians  did  not  give  any  money  ; 
all  payments  came  from  the  United  States,  and  were  made  to  such 
persons  (other  than  Indians)  as  the  commissioners  thought  best  to  care 
for.  As  to  the  land  given  by  the  Indians  to  Mr.  Kinzie  and  on  which 
he  lived,  where  was  it  ?  The  Indians  had  parted  with  the  Chicago  tract, 
six  miles  square,  nine  years  before  Mr.  Kinzie  arrived  at  Fort  Dearborn. 
It  is  true  that  in  May,  1795,  the  Ottawas  (not  the  Pottawattomies) 
conveyed  land  in  Ohio  to  John  Kinzie  and  Thomas  Forsyth;  but  he 
certainly  never  lived  on  it.  He  also  lived  at  Parc-aux-Vaches,  on  the 
St.  Joseph  river,  from  1800  to  1804.  It  is  possible,  though  not  probable, 
that  the  Indians  made  him  a  grant  there. 

Every  one  who  visited  the  hospitable  "Kinzie   mansion"  was  glad 
'ntheSiraHome.  to  do  so  again.     Let  us  follow  the  good  example. 


KINZIE  MANSION  AS  GIVEN  IN  WAUBUN. 


The  structure  as  put  up  by  Pointe  de  Saible,  and  passed  through 
the  hands  of  Le  Mai  to  John  Kinzie,  was  a  cabin  of  roughly  squared 
logs.  In  Kinzie's  time  it  was  beautified,  enlarged,  improved  and  sur- 
rounded by  out-houses,  trees,  fences,  grass-plat,  piazza  and  garden. 
"The  latch-string  hung  outside  the  door,"*  and  all  were  free  to  pull  it 
and  enter.  Friend  or  stranger,  red  man  or  white,  could  come  and  go, 
eat  and  drink,  sleep  and  wake,  listen  and  talk  at  will.  A  tale  is  told  of 

*  This  odd  expression  of  welcome  came  from  the  old  style  of  door-fastening ;  a  latch  within,  lifted  by  the  hand  or 
by  a  string  which  was  poked  through  a  gimlet-hole,  so  that  it  could  be  pulled  from  the  outside.  To  "  lock ' '  the  door,  the 
household  simply  pulled  in  the  string  and  kept  it  inside. 


AFTER  DARKNESS,  UGH  T. 


two  travelers  who  mistook  the  house  for  an  inn,  gave  orders,  asked  ques- 
tions, praised  and  blamed  as  he  does  who  feels,  "shall  I  not  take  mine 
ease  in  mine  inn?"  and  who  were  keenly  mortified  when  they  came  to 
pay  their  "scot"  and  found  that  there  was  none  to  pay. 

In  front  (as  the  picture  shows)  were  four  fine  poplars;  in  the  rear, 
two  great  cottonwoods.  The  remains  of  one  of  these  last-named  were 
visible  at  a  very  late  period.  [Who  knows  just  how  lately?]  In  the 
out-buildings  were  accommodated  the  dairy,  baking-ovens,  stables  and 
rooms  for  "the  Frenchmen,"  the  Canadian  engages  who  were  then  the 
chief  subordinates  in  fur-trading,  and  whose  descendants  are  now  well- 
known  citizens,  their  names  perpetuating  their  ancestry — Beaubien, 
Lafratnboise,  Porthier,  Mirandeau,  etc. 

Captain  Andreas  says: 

The  Kinzie  house  was  no  gloomy  home.  Up  to  the  very  time  of  their  enforced  removal,  the 
children  danced  to  the  sound  of  their  father's  violin,  and  the  long  hours  of  frontier  life  were  made 
merry  with  sport  and  play.  Later,  the  primitive  court  of  Justice  Kinzie  must  have  been  held  in  the 
"  spare  room  " — if  spare  room  there  was. 

Hurlbut,  in  his  delightful,  hu- 
morous, gossipy,  fault-finding  mon- 
ograph, "  Chicago  Antiquities,"  * 
says  (p.  478): 

The  last  distinguished  guest  from  abroad 
whom  the  Kinzies  entertained  at  the  old  house 
was  Governor  Cass  ...  in  the  summer  of 
1827  .  .  .  This  was  during  the  Winnebago 
Indian  excitement.  .  .  Gurdon  Hubbard  says, 
"While  at  breakfast  at  Mr.  Kinzie's  house  we 
heard  singing,  faint  at  first  but  gradually  grow- 
ing louder  as  the  singers  approached.  Mr 
Kinzie  recognized  the  leading  voice  as  that  of 
Bob  Forsyth,  and  left  the  table  for  the  piazza  of 
the  house,  where  we  all  followed.  About  where 
Wells  street  crosses,  in  plain  sight  from  where 
we  stood,  was  a  light  birch-bark  canoe,  manned 
with  thirteen  men,  rapidly  approaching,  the  men 
keeping  time  with  their  paddles  to  one  of  the 
Canadian  boat-songs;  it  proved  to  be  Governor 
Cass  and  his  secretary,  Robert  Forsyth,  and  they 
landed  and  soon  joined  in." 

This  visit  of  Governor  Cass 
was  just  before  the  "  Winnebago 
scare"  of  1827.  He  it  was  who 
informed  the  lonely,  unarmed  and  HENRY  H.HURI.BUT.  ,,885.> 

defenseless  post  of  Fort  Dearborn  of  the  Winnebago  uprising.  Gurdon 
Hubbard  at  once  proposed  to  ride  down  the  "  Hubbard  Trail"  for  help. 
The  others  objected,  for  fear  that  they  might  be  attacked  before  his 
return  ;  but  it  was  finally  decided  that  he  should  go,  and  go  he  did.  At 

*  "  Chicago  Antiquities"  was  published  by  the  author  in  1881.    Only  500  copies  were  printed,  a  few  of  which  still 
_  remain  (1891)  in  the  hands  of  his  widow,  Mrs.  i._,iuut,  17  Wimhrop  Place,  Chicago. 


Winnebago 
Scare  and 
Danville 
Volunteers. 


po  THE  STOR  Y  OF  CHICAGO. 

Danville  he  raised,  within  about  a  day,  fifty  volunteers,  armed  and 
mounted,  and  started  for  Fort  Dearborn.  They  reached  the  Vermilion, 
then  at  flood,  and  running  "  bank-full  "  and  very  rapidly.  The  horses,  on 
being  driven  in,  would  turn  and  come  back  to  shore.  "  Hubbard,  pro- 
voked at  the  delay,  threw  off  his  coat,  crying :  "  Give  me  old  Charley  ! " 
Mounting  the  horse,  he  boldly  dashed  into  the  stream,  and  the  other  horses 
were  crowded  after  him.  "  The  water  was  so  swift  that  old  Charley 
became  unmanageable  ;  but  Hubbard  dismounted  on  the  upper  side, 
seized  the  horse  by  the  mane,  and  swimming  with  his  left  hand,  guided 
the  horse  in  the  direction  of  the  opposite  shore.  We  were  afraid  he 
would  be  washed  under  or  struck  by  his  feet  and  drowned,  but  he  got 


"    -"• 

over. 


The  brave  rescuers  arrived;  and  staid,  petted  and  feasted  by  the 
Chicagoans  of  that  day,  until  a  runner  came  in  from  Green  Bay,  bring- 
ing word  that  Governor  Cass  had  made  peace  with  the  Indians. 

According  to  Mr.  Hurlbut,  as  the  old  master  neared  his  end  the 
older  homestead  also  went  to  decay.  The  very  logs  must  have  been  in 
a  perishing  condition  after  fifty  years  of  service,  and  the  lake  sand, 
driven  by  the  lake  breezes,  piled  itself  up  against  the  north  and  east 
sides.  Then,  too,  the  standard  of  comfort  had  changed.  Son-in-law 
Wolcott  had  rooms  in  the  brick  building  of  the  unoccupied  fort. 
Colonel  Beaubien  had  a  frame  house  close  to  the  fort's  south  wall  (now 
Michigan  avenue  and  River  street),  and  thither  the  Kinzies  moved. 
What  more  natural  than  that  the  ancient  tree,  as  it  tottered  to  its  fall, 
should  lean  over  toward  the  young  saplings  that  had  sprung  up  at  its 
foot  ?  It  is  the  way  of  the  world. 

It  was  in  i827thatMr.  Kinzie  and  whatever  then  formed  his  house- 
Keinzieand°he  hold  quitted  the  historical  loe  house  for  the  last  time.  In  1820  it  was 

Old  Homestead.  ° 

(says  Andreas)   used  fora  while  by  Anson   N.  Taylor  as  a  store.      In 
March,  1831,  Mr.  Bailey  lived  in  it  and  probably  made  it  the  postofifice, 
its  first  location  in  Chicago,  as  he  was  the  first  postmaster.     The  mail 
was  then  brought  on  horse-back  from  Detroit  about  twice  a  month. 
Captain  Andreas  says : 

After  1831  and  1832,  when  Mark  Noble  occupied  it  with  his  family,  there  is  no  record  of  its  being 
inhabited.  Its  decaying  logs  were  used  by  the  Indians  and  immigrants  for  fuel  and  the  drifting 
sand  of  Lake  Michigan  was  fast  piled  over  its  remains.  No  one  knows  when  it  finally  disappeared, 
but  with  the  growth  of  the  new  town  this  relic  of  the  early  day  of  Chicago  passed  from  sight  to  be 
numbered  among  the  things  that  were. 

Mrs.  Robert  Kinzie  says  now  (1891)  that  she  is  sure  that  the  house 
was  standing  when  she  was  married  in  the  fort  (1834)  and  she  thinks 
long  afterward.  She  scouts  the  idea  that  those  solid  logs  were  used 
for  fuel  by  the  Indians  or  immigrants. 

•See  "The  Winnebago  Scare,"  by  Hiram  W.  Beckwith,  of  Danville.    Fergus'  Historical  Series,  No.  10. 


AFTER  DARKNESS,  LIGHT. 


9' 


Rufus  Blanchard,  in  his  "  Northwest,"  prints  an  interesting  note  : 

The  following  account  of  Mr.  Kinzie's  death  has  been  learned  from  Mr.  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard: 
"  He  remained  in  full  vigor  of  health  in  both  body  and  mind  till  he  had  a  slight  attack  of  apoplexy, 
after  which  his  health  continued  to  decline  until  his  death,  which  took  place  in  a  few  months,  at  the 
residence  of  his  son-in-law,  Dr.  Wolcott,  who  then  lived  in  the  brick  building  formerly  used  as  the 
officers'  quarters  in  the  fort.  Here,  while  on  a  brief  visit  to  Mrs.  Wolcott  [Ellen  Marion  Kinzie]  he  was 
suddenly  attacked  with  apoplexy.  Mr.  Hubbard,  then  living  in  Mr.  Kinzie's  family,  was  sent  for 

and  on  coming  into  the  room  of  the  dying  man  he  found  him  in  convulsions  on  the  floor  in  the 
parlor,  his  head  supported  by  his  daughter.  Mr.  Hubbard  raised  him  to  a  sitting  position  and  thu; 
supported  him  till  he  drew  his  last  breath.  The  funeral  service  took  place  in  the  fort  and  the  last 
honors  due  to  the  old  pioneer  were  paid  with  impressive  respect  by  the  few  inhabitants  of  the 
place. " 

Mr.  Kinzie's  remains  were  first  buried  in  the  post  burying-ground 
on  the  lake  shore  south  of  the  old  fort  (about  Michigan  ave.  and  Wash- 
ington St.),  whence  they  were  later  removed  to  a  plot  just  west  of  the 
present  water  works  (Chicago  Avenue  and  Tower  Place),  and  finally  to 
Graceland  where  they  now  rest. 


CHAPTER   XI. 


I82O-3O.     AN  OBSCURE  DECADE. 


years  ago. 


887  saw  depart  from  among  us  the  last 
man  who  could  give  personal  testimony 
to  the  condition  which  prevailed  in  the 
later  years  of  what  may  be  called  pre- 
historic Chicago.  Gurdon  Hubbard,  a 
fountain  of  knowledge  about  the  past, 
was  the  greatest  loss  his  beloved  city 
has  ever  suffered  ;  and  it  seems  doubtful  if  any  one  person  can  at  any 
time  occupy  so  high  a  relative  position  as  was  his.  Pity  that  we  did 
not  fully  appreciate  this  fact  sooner.  "Blessings  brighten  as  they  take 
their  flight" 

We  have  before  given  the  view  of  things  hereabouts,  taken  by  an 
excellent  observer  and  unprejudiced  recorder,  Mr.  Schoolcraft.  Others, 
in  fact  all  others,  have  left  a  less  flattering  presentation.  No  hesita- 
t'on  should  be  felt  in  dwelling  upon  so  humble  an  origin  for  so  proud 
a  growth  as  ours.  The  greatness  of  Abraham  Lincoln  would  be  less  a 
world-wonder  if  he  had  been  born  in  a  palace  and  trained  in  colleges 
and  courts. 

William  H.  Keating  (Narrative  of  an  Expedition,  etc.,  London, 
1825)  writes  under  date  of  1823  : 

We  were  much  disappointed  at  the  appearance  of  Chicago  and  its  vicinity.  .  .  The  coun- 
try near  Chicago  offers  but  few  features  upon  which  the  eye  can  dwell  with  pleasure.  There  is  too 
much  uniformity  in  the  scenery;  the  extensive  water  prospect  is  a  waste  uncheckered  by  islands, 
unenlivened  by  the  spreading  canvas,  and  the  fatiguing  monolony  of  which  is  increased  by  the 
equally  undiversified  prospect  of  the  land  scenery,  which  affords  no  relief  to  the  sight,  as  it  con- 
sists merely  of  a  plain  in  which  but  few  patches  of  thin  and  scrubby  woods  are  observed  scattered 
here  and  there. 

The  village  presents  no  cheering  prospect,  as,  notwithstanding  its  antiquity,  it  consists  of  but 
few  huts,  inhabited  by  a  miserable  race  of  men.  scarcely  equal  to  the  Indians  from  whom  they  are 
descended.  Their  log  or  bark  houses  are  low,  filthy  and  disgusting,  displaying  not  the  least  trace 
of  comfort. 

In  1825  John  H.  Fonda  says  of   Chicago  (Hurlbut,  p.  212)  : 

We  entered  the  Lake  Peoria  and  were  met  at  the  landing  by  a  number  of  Indians,  from  whom 
we  learned  that  it  was  more  than  two  hundred  miles  to  the  nearest  trading-post  on  the  Lake,  which 
was  Cki-ca-a  go.  .  .  .  We  paddled  along  until  we  came  to  the  Des  Plaines  river,  from  which  we 
passed  into  a  large  slough,  or  lake,  that  must  have  led  us  into  a  branch  of  the  Chicago  river,  for  we 
followed  a  stream  that  brought  us  opposite  Fort  Dearborn.  At  this  period  Chicago  was  merely  an 


AN  OBSCURE  DECADE. 


93 


Indian  Agency;  it  contained  about  fourteen  houses,  and  not  more  than  75  or  loo  inhabitants  at  the 
most.  An  agent  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  named  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard.  then  occupied  the 
fort.  The  staple  business  seemed  to  be  carried  on  by  Indians  and  runaway  soldiers,  who  hunted 
ducks  and  muskrats  in  the  marshes.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  lowland,  and  mostly  destitute  of 
timber.  The  principal  inhabitants  were  Mr.  Hubbard,  a  Frenchman  by  the  name  of  Ouillemet  and 
John  B.  Beaubien. 

It  was  the  winter  of  1827  that  the  U.  S.  Quartermaster  came  to  me  one  day  and  asked  if  I 
could  find  my  way  to  Chicago.  ...  He  intrusted  me  with  the — not  mailbag,  but  a  tin  canister 
covered  with  untanned  deerhide  that  contained  the  dispatches  and  letters  of  the  inhabitants.  .  .  . 
One  noon  we  arrived  at  Fort  Dearborn,  after  being  on  the  way  more  than  a  month.  It  was  in  Jan- 
uary, 1828;  and,  with  the  exception  that  the  fort  was  strengthened  and  garrisoned,  there  was  no 
sign  of  improvement  since  my  former  visit. 

Mr.  Hurlbut  has  unearthed  and  copied  from  an  old  Maryland  peri- 
odical three  letters  dated  at  "  Fort  Dearborn,  Chicago,  111.  "  in  1830. 


PROPOSED    PLAN  0 

fOR  IMPROVING  THE  MOUTHMr  CHICAGO  RlVtft 

Drawn  by 
F.H.rrison  Jr.U.SA8».st  Civil  Engineer 

Feby.  24^   1830- 

Wo  Howard  U.S Civil  Engineer 


They  give  account  of  sports  participated  in  by  persons  designated  only 
by  initials,  whom  Mr.  H.  identifies  as  Captain  Martin  Scott  (killed  at 
Molino  del  Rey),  Dr.  Clement  A.  Finley,  Major  Robert  Kinzie,  Dr. 
Philip  Maxwell,  James  Grant,  Mr.  Beaubien,  Mr.  Clybourn,  Lieutenant 
John  G.  Furman  of  the  5th  U.  S.  infantry  (who  died  at  the  fort  in  the 
same  year),  and  Lieutenant  James  Thompson,  also  of  the  army. 

The  first  letter  describes  a  deer-hunt  with  dogs  and  horses,  which 
occurred  in  "the  thick  woods  on  the  north  side."  They  found  two 
deer  before  reaching  the  line  of  the  present  Chicago  Avenue.  The 
second  tells  of  a  woli'-hunt  in  the  previous  December,  on  which  occasion 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Wild  game 
within  city 
limits. 


they  found  and  killed  three  wolves  and  three  raccoons  somewhere  on 
the  South  Side  near  the  South  Branch.  The  third  tells  of  high  water, 
when  the  water  in  Mud  Lake  was  divided  and  part  flowed  east  with  the 
lake  and  part  west  into  the  Illinois.  The  writer  adds: 

Here,  after  the  waters  have  subsided,  vast  quantities  of  aquatic  fowl  congregate  to  feed  on 
the  wild  rice,  insects,  etc.,  that  abound  in  it.  Swan,  geese  and  brant,  passing  to  and  fro  in  clouds, 
keep  an  incessant  cackling;  ducks  of  every  kind,  from  the  mallard  and  canvas-back  down  to  the 
tiny  water-witch  and  blue-winged  teal.  .  .  while  hundreds  of  gulls  hover  gracefully  over,  ever 
and  anon  plunging  their  snowy  bosoms  into  the  circling  waters.  ...  Of  these  we  may  hereafter 
send  you  some  account;  and  when  the  "  rail-road  "  is  finished  between  Baltimore  and  Rock  River, 
perhaps  you  may  come  out  and  take  a  week's  sport  with  us. 

This  is  interesting,  not  only  for  its  disclosure,  of  the  wild  state  of 
our  great  West  Side  at  that  late  date,  and  by  the  abundance  of  wild 
game  there;  but  also  for  the  jocular  allusion  to  a  possible  (or  impossible) 
"  rail-road  "  all  the  way  from  Baltimore  to  the  Rock  River  !  The  writer 
unconsciously  names  the  factor  destined  to  be  of  incalculable  weight  in 
the  future  of  the  unpromising  tract  he  is  hunting  over.  1830  may  be 
said  to  be  the  birth-year  of  the  American  Railway  system,  and  that  sys- 
tem to  be  the  main  source  of  the  greatness  of  the  West,  especially  that 
of  Chicago.  Not  for  eighteen  years  will  the  first  locomotive  press  the 
soil  of  the  city,  and  not  for  twenty-five  years  will  the  first  train  arrive 
from  the  East.  But  nevertheless  the  little  seed  is  planted,  and  the  great 
tree,  with  its  infinite  branches  and  its  immeasurable  fruits,  is  growing 
ceaselessly  and  resistlessly  from  this  time  forth. 

Now,  leaving  the  squalid  physical  aspect  of  the  place,  we  will 
observe  the  course  of  human  life  other  than  as  already  set  forth. 

John  Harris  Kinzie,  son  of  John 
and  Eleanor  (Me  Killop)  Kinzie,  who 
was  born  in  Canada,  July  7,  1803,  and 
was  brought  to  Chicago  with  the  family 
on  its  first  arrival,  became,  in  1826,  pri- 
vate secretary  to  Governor  Cass,  and 
later  aide-de-camp  with  the  rank  of  col- 
onel. August  gth,  1830,31  Middletown, 
Connecticut,  he  married  Juliette  A. 
Magill.  This  marriage  was  not  only 
fortunate  for  Colonel  Kinzie,  but  also  a 
happy  thing  for  Chicago,  as  Mrs.  Kin- 
zie became  one  of  the  best  known  and 
most  admired  of  the  city's  early  mat- 
rons, and  also  its  historian  in  no  slight 
degree  through  her  chatty  narrative  "Waubun,"  published  in  1856. 
Many  of  Chicago's  citizens  cherish  to  this  day  loving  memories  of  this, 
the  city's  very  earliest  literary  woman. 


AN  OBSCURE  DECADE.  pj 

Robert  Allen  Kinzie,  born  at  the  old  fort  February  8th,  1810, 
shared  the  family's  varied  experiences  (carrying  on  the  fur-trade  with  the 

Indians),  and  in  1834,  at  the  fort( 
married  the  daughter  of  Col.  William 
Whistler,  who  built  the  old  fort  in 
1803,  and  in  1832  came  out  again  to 
the  new  fort,  one  of  its  latest  com- 
manders. 

This  daughter  has  been  before 
mentioned  as  still  living  in  Chicago, 
and  it  is  with  great  pleasure  that  the 

.  e    \  •  The  Kinzie 

circumstance  of  her  marriage  is  re-  Race. 
called,  with  the  interesting  recollec- 
tions of  the  venerable  Chief  Justice 
Caton,  also  happily  yet  among  us. 
Never  until  now  has  Mrs.  Kinzie 
consented  to  the  publication  of  her  likeness. 

Ellen  Marion  Kinzie,  whose  birth  has  been  before  mentioned  as 
taking  place  in  the  old  Kinzie  mansion  in  1804,  was  married  July  20, 
1823,  to  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  then  Indian  agent  at  Chicago,  who  died 
there  in  1830.  In  1836  she  married,  at  Detroit,  the  Hon.  George  C. 
Bates  and  she  died  at  Detroit  in  1860. 

1828  saw  the  fort  once  more  garrisoned,  Major  John  Fowle  being 
in  command,  and  having  for  his  lieutenant  David  Hunter,  who  soon 
after  married  Maria  Indiana  Kinzie,  second  daughter  of  John,  born  in 
1807.  In  1879  Genl.  Hunter  wrote  to  the  Calumet  Club  "  Old  Settlers' 
Reception,"  as  follows: 

More  than  half  a  century  since,  I  first  came  to  Chicago  on  horseback  from  St.  Louis,  stopping 
on  the  way  at  the  log  cabins  of  the  early  settlers  and  passing  the  last  house  at  the  mouth  of  the  Fox 
river.  I  wars  married  in  Chicago  having  to  send  a  soldier  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  on  foot,  to 
Peoria,  for  a  license.  The  northern  counties  in  the  State  had  n'  t  liicn  b.'en  organized,  and  were  all 
attached  to  Peoria  countv.  My  dear  wife  is  still  a'ive  and  in  good  health,  and  I  can  certify  a  hun- 
dred times  over  that  Chicag  >  is  a  first-rate  place  from  which  to  get  a  good  wife. 

Beside  the  course  of  the  main  branch  of  the  Kinzie  stock,  and  the 
Hubbarcls,  all  of  whom  were  kept  in  view  by  their  connection  with  the 
army,  there  were  the  James  Kinzies,  John  K.  Clarks,  Clybourns  and 
Beaubiens;  including  men  and  women  quite  as  worthy  and  as  note- 
worthy as  any  of  their  fellow-citizens. 

As  has  been  already  told,  two  girls,  Margaret*  and  Elizabeth 
McKenzie,  were  (during  the  Revolutionary  times)  stolen  by  the  IndiansLessknown 

J  early  names. 

from  their  home  on  the  Kanawha  river,  in  Virginia.  They  were  kept 
by* their  captors  (Ohio  Shawnees)  until  womanhood,  when  we  first  find 
them  in  Detroit.  There  Margaret  (whether  a  wife  or  not)  bore  three 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  CHICAGO. 


children,  William,  James  and  Elizabeth,  to  John  Kinzie.      (This  was 
before  his  marriage  with  Eleanor  [Lytle]  McKillop.) 

William  Kinzie  did  not 
come  to  Chicago.  James 
(born  1793)  moved  west- 
ward soon  after  1812,  and 
seems  to  have  dealt  in 
ardent  spirits  as  a  busi- 
ness. In  1821  he  was 
"detected  in  selling  large 
quantities  of  liquors  to  the 
Indians  at  and  near  Mil- 
tvalky,"  and  in  1829  he 
built  a  tavern  on  the  west 
side,  near  the  forks  of  the 
river,  afterward  known  as 
the  Wolf  Tavern,  kept  by 
Elijah  Wentworth. 

In  1833  James  built 
the  Green  Tree  Tavern 
on  the  northeast  corner 
of  North  Canal  and  West 
Lake  streets,  "  its  name 
MRS.  GWENTHLEAN  H.  KINZIE.  (,8,,.)  being  taken  from  a  soli- 

tary oak  which  stood  near."     (Andreas.)     He  held  various  offices  of 
trust  and  honor — School  Trustee,  Sheriff  (the  first  of  Cook  County), 


THE  GREEN  TREE  HOTEL.    (Slill  standine  in  1891.)* 


Town  Auctioneer  and  Town   Trustee.      He    moved  to   Racine  in  18^35 
and  died  in  Clyde,  Wisconsin,  in  1866.     (Andreas.)     It  was  in  regard 

*  Now  33,  35  and  37  Milwaukee  A  ve.    Doubtless  the  oldest  structure  in  the  city. 


AN  OBSCURE  DECADE. 


97 


to  James  Kinzie  that  it  has  been  said   "  the  smartest  of  the  Kinzies  was 
a  McKenzie,"  his  irregular  origin  being  suggested  as  an  explanation. 


Captain  Andreas  (p.  96)  mentions  one  David  Hall,  of  Virginia, 
"  half  brother  to  James  Kinzie,"  as  being  James' partner  in  the  Green 
Tree  Tavern.  This  would  indicate  that  poor  Margaret,  after  her 
reclamation  by  her  father,  had  married,  in  Virginia,  a  man  named  Hall, 
and  born  him  a  son.  We  hear  of  her,  directly,  once  more,  as  appears 
in  the  next  chapter. 

Elizabeth  Kinzie  was  married,  in  1826,  by  John  Kinzie,  J.  P.  (her 
father),  to  Samuel  Miller,  who  kept  a  tavern  known  as  the  Miller  House, 
situated  on  the  North  Side  near  the  forks  of  the  river.  It  was  probably 
the  oldest  of  the  houses  (on  the  right)  shown  in  the  accompanying  cut 
of  Wolf  Point,  the  Forks,  etc.  Samuel  Miller  had  been  in  partnership 
with  Archibald  Clybourn  (his  wife's  cousin)  in  1829,  and  they  were 
authorized  to  keep  a  ferry  across  the  river  "  at  the  lower  forks." 


Descendants  of 
the  captive 
girls. 


In  the  same  cut  a  bridge  seems  to  occupy  the  place  of  the  ferry-boat, 
spanning  the  stream  of  the  North  Branch,  just  above  the  forks.  The 
ferry  was  established  by  law  (records 
of  Peoria  county),  the  citizens  of  Chi- 
cago to  be  carried  free,  and  all  other 
persons  to  be  subject  to  a  charge  for 
ferriage,  "one  half  the  sum  that  John 
L.  Bogardus  gets  at  his  ferry  at 
Peoria." 

Reverting  now  to  the  captured 
girls  before  mentioned,  Margaret  and 
Elizabeth  McKenzie,  we  will  trace  the 
line  of  Elizabeth,  the  younger.  In 
Detroit  she  was  the  wife  of  one  Clark, 
a  Scotch  trader,  and  mother  of  his 
two  children,  John  K.  and  Elizabeth. 
Then,  after  the  father  of  the  stolen 
girls  came  to  Detroit,  reclaimed  his 
lost  daughters  and  took  them  and  JOHN  K.  CLARK. 


98 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  Clarks  and 
Clybourns. 


their  children  with  him  to  Virginia,  Elizabeth  married  Jonas  Cly- 
bourn,  to  whom  she  bore  two  sons,  Archibald  (1802)  and  Henley. 
John  K.  Clark  came  early  to  Chicago,  and  his  half-brother  Archibald 
Clybourn  followed  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough,  arriving  in  1823. 
Finally  the  two  good  sons  brought  out  their  parents,  Jonas  and  Eliza- 
beth Clybourn,  and  the  family  settled  (1824)  on  the  west  side  of  the 
North  Branch,  at  about  the  place  where  the  North  Chicago  rolling-mills 
now  stand,  opposite  the  west  end  of  Clybourn  Place  bridge. 


WOLF  POINT  IN  1830.  (Hurlbut,    p.  503.) 

Archibald  Clybourn  was  a  remarkable  man  in  many  ways.  He 
married  (1829)  Mary  Galloway,  who  had  come  hither  with  her  father, 
James  Galloway,  in  1826,  she  being  then  fourteen  years  old.* 

Captain  Andreas  gives  Mary  Galloway's  early  impressions  of  Chicago 
so  fully,  and  with  so  much  of  local  color,  that  they  deserve  transcription  : 

Mrs.  Clybourn  described  the  appearance  of  Chicago  in  the  winter  o(  1826  as  a  black  and  dreary 
expanse  of  prairie,  with  occasional  patches  of  timber.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  river,  which  was 
then  at  the  foot  of  Madison  street,  stood  the  cabin  of  Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien,  and  his  shanty  ware- 
house somewhat  nearer  the  lake.  Where  the  river  turned  to  the  south,  at  the  point  where  Rush 
street  bridge  now  crosses  the  stream,  was  Fort  Dearborn.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  nearly 
opposite  the  fort,  was  a  double  log  house,  occupied  jointly  by  John  Kinzie  and  Alexander  Wolcott,  and 
near  this  the  blacksmithishop  of  Daniel  McKee  and  Joseph  Porthick  (Porthier).  At  the  forks  of  the 
river,  a  cabin  used  for  a  store,  owned  and  occupied  by  James  Kinzie  and  David  Hall,  of  Virginia. 
At  Hardscrabble  there  were  five  or  six  cabins,  several  of  which  were  occupied  by  the  Lafram- 
boises,  of  whom  there  were  four:  Francis,  Sr.,  Francis,  Jr.,  Joseph  and  Claude.  Another  was  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  Wallace,  and  another  by  Barney  Lawton.  .  .  .  The  Clybourns  were  on  the  North 
Branch — Jonas  and  his  wife,  his  sons  Archibald  and  Henley,  and  John  K.  Clark,  their  half  brother. 

Archibald  Clybourn  (under  the  authority  of  Peoria  county)  was  the 
first  constable  for  the  Chicago  region,  and  later  justice  of  the  peace. 

*  The  Galloways  started  from  Sandusky,  Ohio,  in  a  small  schooner,  bringing  their  household  stuff  and  *'  a  large 
quantity  "  of  goods  to  be  sold  to  the  Indians.  The  schooner  was  wrecked  (by  a  drunken  captain)  on  the  Island  of  St. 
Helena,  near  Mackinaw,  and  the  passengers,  with  part  of  Galloway's  goods,  saved  and  brought  to  Chicago  in  one  of  the 

Fur  Company's  boats The  little  colony,  goods  and  all,  found  refuge  at  Hardscrabble,  up  the  South  Branch,  in 

a  log  cottage  belonging  to  Chief  Alexander  Rubinspn— perhaps  the  same  cottage  where  two  whites  were  killed  by  the 
Indians  in  1812.  A  stirring  tale  is  told  of  the  defense  of  their  cabins  by  Mary  and  her  mother,  left  alone  therein  during  a 
long  and  fearful  winter  night  in  1830. 


AN  OBSCURE  DECADE. 


99 


He  and   his  sons  were    the   early   butchers,    and   their   successors  are 
engaged  in  the  same  trade  to  this  day,  1891.      He  carried  on  large  deal- 


ARCHIBALD  CLYBOURN  AND  WIFE. 

ings  in  cattle,  and  when  the  "Black  Hawk  \Var"  (1832)  brought 
crowds  of  frightened  settlers  into  the  fort,  "  the  Glybourns  and  John 
Noble  and  sons  fed  nearly  the  entire  population  until  the  pioneers  could 
return  to  their  scattered  homes."  (Andreas,  p.  104.) 

The  Beaubiens'  connection  with  Chicago  began  very  early.  Jean 
Baptiste  (third  of  the  name  since  the  immigration  from  France  early  in 
the  1 8th  century)  was  born  in  Detroit  in  1780,  visited  Chicago  in  1804, 
and  (as  his  son  averred)  bought  a  cabin  and  field  south  of  the  fort  in 
1812.*  He  married  an  Ottawa  Indian  woman,  who  became  the  mother  TheBeaubiens- 
of  his  sons  Charles,  Henry  and  Madore.  In  1812  he  married  Josette, 
daughter  of  Francis  Laframboise,  a  French  trader,  living  on  the  South 
Side.  She  was  the  mother  of  Alexander  Beaubien.  In  1818  Jean  Bap- 
tiste was  made  agent  of  the  Fur  Company.  He  moved  into  the  com- 
pany building  just  outside  the  south  wall  of  the  fort  (about  Michigan 
avenue  and  South  Water  street);  where  he  lived  until  1840,  when  he 
moved  to  his  farm  on  the  Desplaines.  He  was  the  first  president  of 
the  village  debating  society,  which  met  inside  the  fort,  and  included  in 
its  membership  nearly  every  able  bodied  man  in  town. 

Later  he  was  colonel,  and  still  later  general  of  the   Cook  County 

*This  occupation  was  sworn  to  by  Jean  Baptiste's  son,  Madore,  as  the  basis  of  a  claim  on  behalf  of  the  former  for 
a  "  pre-emption  right "  on  land  about  Michigan  avenue  and  Lake,  Randolph  and  Washington  streets.  After  some  fifty 
years  of  litigation  this  claim  has  failed,  the  final  di-.mis.sal  from  court  occurring  during  the  time  of  writing  this  chapter. 


700 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Original 

capitalists. 


militia.      He  died  in  Naperville,  in   1863.      Mark  Beaubien,  brother  of 
Jean  Baptiste,  came  here  in  1826.      Here  is  his  own  story: 

I  came  with  my  family  by  team;  no  road,  only  Indian  trail.  I  had  to  hire  an  Indian  to  show 
me  the  road  to  Chicago.  I  camped  out  of  doors  and  bought  a  log  house  from  Jim  Kinzie.  There 
was  no  town  laid  out;  didn't  expect  no  town.  When  they  laid  out  the  town  my  house  was  laid  out  in 
the  street.  When  they  laid  the  town  I  bought  two  lots  where  I  built  the  old  Sauganash,  the  first 
frame  house  in  Chicago. 

The  "Sauganash"  stood  on  the  lot  (Lake  and  Market  streets), 
later  occupied  by  the  "  Wigwam,"  where  Lincoln  was  nominated.  Mark 
was,  if  not  the  first,  the  most  noted  and  popular  of  Chicago  inn-keepers. 
Town  elections  took  place  at  his  house.  Merrymakings  were  held  there, 
and  dancing  went  on,  to  the  sound  of  Mark's  violin.  He  loved  his  fiddle 
dearly  and  at  his  death  bequeathed  it  to  the  Calumet  Club,  where  it  is 
still  proudly  shown  and  highly  prized.  Captain  Andreas  says  of  him: 

Mr.  Beaubien  is  described  as  being,  in  his  prime,  "a  tall,  atheletic,  fine  appearing  man, 
Frenchy  and  polite,  frank,  open-hearted,  generous  to  a  fault,  and  in  his  glory  at  a  horse  race."  His 
favorite  dress  on  great  occasions  was  a  swallow-tail  coat  with  brass  buttons,  and  if  in  the  summer, 
light  nankeen  trousers.  His  quaint  old  song,  in  regard  to  the  surrender  of  General  Hull  at  Detroit,  in 
1812,  of  which  he  was  a  witness,  was  sung  with  much  gusto.  .  .  .  His  last  visits  to  Chicago  were 
in  1879  and  1880,  at  the  Calumet  Club  receptions  to  old  settlers  .  .  .  The  children  of  Mr.  Beau- 
bien, as  given  in  the  Chicago  Times,  March  26,  1876,  were  Josette,  Mark,  Oliver,  Joseph,  Emily, 
Soliston,  David,  George,  Napoleon,  Edward,  Helena,  Elizabeth,  Gwinny,  Frances,  Monique  and  one 
infant  that  died  unnamed,  children  of  his  first  wife,  Monique  Nadeau,  of  Detroit;  and  Robert,  Frank, 
Mary,  Ida,  Jimmy,  Jesse  and  Slide!,  children  by  his  second  marriage.  He  died  on  the  i6th  of  April, 
1881,  in  Kankakee,  111.,  at  the  house  of  George  Matthews,  who  married  his  daughter  Mary. 

In  1825  the  assessment  roll  of  John  L.  Bogardus,  assessor  of  Peoria 
county,  shows  for  that  year  the  following  names  and  possessions  in  the 
Chicago  precinct: 


Taxpayers'  Names. 

Valuation. 

Tax. 

$       I  OOO 

$       IO   OO 

Clybourne    James,    

625 

6  25 

Clark    John  K               •  

250 

2    5O 

^O   OO 

Clermont    Jeremy,  ..        

loo 

I    OO 

6 

Coutra,   Louis,  

50 

5° 

7 

500 

5  oo 

| 

IOO 

I    OO 

50 

5° 

IO 

McKee,  David,  

IOO 

I    OO 

jj 

Piche,  Peter  

IOO 

I    OO 

12 

2OO 

2    OO 

572 

5  72 

400 

4  oo 

Total  property,  $9,047,  of  which  $5,000  belonged  to  John  Jacob  Astor. 

There  are  the  surnames  and  the  estates.  Now  let  the  civic  aris- 
tocracy come  forward  and  pick  out  their  ancestors 

One  of  the  penalties  of  having  grown  from  100  to  1,200,000  in  two 
generations,  is  the  necessity  which  compels  most  of  us  to  look  east,  north- 
east and  southeast  for  the  roots  of  our  family  trees.  Still,  there  are  some 
of  the  old  names  yet  extant;  and  we  can,  at  least,  cling  to  them  in  the 
nomenclature  of  our  streets,  avenues,  squares,  parks,  public  places, 


AN  OBSCURE  DECADE. 


201 


schools  and  buildings.  Our  city  directory  for  1881  shows  Kinzies, 
Clybourns,  Beaubiens,  Laframboises.  None  of  these  can  claim  (as 
do  the  Virginia  descendants  of  Pocahontas)  to  share  in  the  blood  of 
our  predecessors  in  local  dominion  (the  Indians),  except  one  branch  of 
the  Beaubiens,  but  there  are  other  names,  among  our  best  society, 
where  a  strain  of  that  historic  race  exists. 

NOTE.— The  killing  (in  self-defense)  of  John  Lalime  by  John  Kinzie  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. Since  the  writing  of  that  part  of  our  story,  a  discovery  has  been  made  which  connects  1812 
with  to-day  in  an  interesting  way.  On  April  26th,  1891,  some  human  bones  and  the  bottom  of  a 
pine  coffin,  all  far  advanced  in  decay,  were  unearthed  at  a  point  near  the  southwest  corner  of  Cass 
and  Illinois  streets  (the  old  Saint  James  Church  lot),  which  point  is  either  identical  with  or  wonder- 
fully near  to  the  grave  of  Lalime,  as  described  in  the  following  letter  written  by  Mr.  Hubbard: 

Chicago,  June  zsth,  1881.  Hon.  John  Wentworth  .  .  .  Mrs.  Kinzie  says  that  her  husband  and  La  Lime  .  .  . 
had  had  frequent  altercations;  that  at  the  time  of  the  encounter  Mr.  Kinzie  had  crossed  the  river  alone,  in  a  canoe,  going 
to  the  fort,  and  that  La  Lime  met  him  outside  the  garrison  and  shot  him,  the  ball  cutting  the  outside  of  his  neck.  Mr. 
Kinzie,  closing  with  La  Lime,  stabbed  him  and  retreated  to  the  house,  covered  with  blood.  .  .  .  She,  i.n  haste,  took 
bandages  and  with  him  retreated  to  the  woods,  where  she  dressed  his  wounds,  returning  just  in  time  to  meet  an  officer, 
with  a  squad,  to  seize  her  husband For  some  days  he  was  hid  in  the  bush  and  cared  (or  by  his  wife. 

La  Lime  was  an  educated  man  and  quite  a  favorite  with  the  officers,  who  were  greatly  excited.  They  decided  he 
should  be  buried  near  the  bank  of  the  river,  about  the  present  terminus  of  Rush  street  and  within  200  yards  of  Mr. 
Kinzie's  house,  in  plain  view  of  his  front  door  and  piazza.  The  grave  was  enclosed  by  a  picket-fence,  which  Mr.  Kinzie, 

in  his  life-time,  kept  in  perfect  order After  a  full  investigation  by  the  officers,  whose  friend  the  deceased  was, 

they  acquitted  Mr.  Kinzie,  who  then  returned  to  his  family.  .  .  .  Mr.  Kinzie  never,  in  my  hearing,  alluded  to  or  spoke 
of  it.  Knowing  his  aversion  to  converse  on  the  subject,  I  never  spoke  to  him  about  it.  .  .  .  Yours,  G.  S.  Hubbard.— 
(Fergus'  Hist.  Series,  No.  16.) 

On  July  zist,  1891,  the  writer  presented  these  relics  to  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  with 
reasons  for  thinking  them  authentic.  Doctors  Hosmer  and  Freer  pronounced  them  the  bones  of  a 
white  male,  of  mature  age,  slim  in  build,  five  feet  four  inches  high  ;  also  judged  them  to  have  been 
interred  a  long  time,  probably  the  79  years  called  for.  Judge  Blodgett,  John  C.  Haines,  Fernando 
Jones  and  others  testified  as  to  the  position  of  the  ancient  grave,  and  Mr.  Jones  said  that  Robert 
Kinzie  had  expressed  to  him  (many  years  ago)  his  gladness  that  his  brother  John  had  caused  "  the 
little  Frenchman"  to  be  placed  in  St.  James  church-yard.  Old  St.  James  parishioners  agree  that 
no  burials  were  known  to  have  been  made  in  the  church-yard  where  these  bones  were  found.  The 
fact  of  the  body's  being  coffined  shows  that  this  was  not  a  hasty,  secret  burial.  Sure  it  is,  that 
Lalime  was  buried  within  a  stone's  throw  of  where  these  bones  were  found,  and  at  a  time  just  about 
as  distant  in  the  past  as  the  day  when  they  must  have  been  buried,  and  that  no  other  remains  which 
might  have  been  Lalime's  were  ever  unearthed. 


Remains  unearthed  April  z6th  and  presented  to  the  Historical  Society,  July  ai,  1891 


Treaties  with 
the  Sauks 
and  Foxes. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    VANISHING    RACE. 

OOD-BYE  Indians!  No  longer  can  the 
prairies  be  left  in  possession  of  men  who 
will  not  cultivate  them.  The  law  of  sup- 
ply and  demand  has  migrated  to  the  west- 
ern frontier,  supplanting  monopolies  both 
savage  and  civilized.  A  few  nomads, 
without  the  thrift  which  would  provide  for 
each  an  extra  axe  or  blanket,  a  habitation 
fit  to  keep  out  the  weather,  a  plow  and  a 
beast  to  pull  one,  still. less  a  winter's  sup- 
ply of  food  and  fuel,  have  held,  hitherto,  thirty  thousand  square  miles 
-twenty  million  acres  —  of  fertile  land,  worth  a  hundred  million  dol- 
lars to  a  coming  host  of  farmers.  Fate  has  decreed  that  the  Govern- 
ment shall  pay  the  savages  certain  annuities  —  goods,  tools,  schooling 
and  money  which,  properly  used,  would  give  to  each  of  them  axes, 
plows,  blankets,  houses,  horses,  food  and  education  for  all  time  to  come — 
and  that  thereupon  the  eager  farmers  shall  go  to  plowing  the  land  ; 
turning  it  up  to  the  sun  for  the  first  time  since  the  sun  has  shone  on  it, 
and  the  wild  wanderers  have  tramped  over  it. 

The  savage  tenure  of  the  land  was  like  that  grip  ascribed  to  the 
poisonous  centipede,  said  to  be  hardly  felt  while  he  crawls  along  your 
skin  unmolested,  but  suddenly  deep,  tenacious,  bloody  and  fatal  when 
you  try  to  shake  him  off. 

Black  Hawk  was  a  half-breed,  a  subordinate  chief  of  the  Sauks  and 
Foxes,  under  Keokuk,  head  chief.  The  treaty  of  St.  Louis  (1804)  which 
conveyed  to  the  United  States  all  their  lands  in  Illinois,  Black  Hawk  repu- 
diated, saying  that  but  four  chiefs  of  the  tribe  had  signed  it,  and  they 
only  when  drunk.  July  15,  1830,  Keokuk  made  another  treaty  convey- 
ing all  their  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi,  in  both  Illinois  and  Wiscon- 
sin, Black  Hawk  being  no  party  to  the  trade.  The  Indians  were  bound 
to  vacate  their  villages  and  cross  the  river  in  1831,  and  Keokuk,  with  all 
whom  he  could  influence,  kept  the  bargain.  Not  so  Black  Hawk;  he 
determined  to  maintain,  by  force,  his  hold  on  his  old  Rock  River  home. 
This  had  been  their  home  since  the  time  of  the  advent  of  Jolietand 
LaSalle,  and  here  were  the  graves  of  their  ancestors  —  the  few  of  them 

105 


THE    VANISHING  RACE. 


103 


who  may  be  supposed  to  have  died  at  home  between  their  terrible  raids 
on  their  neighbors. 

The  veteran  doubtless  thought,  though  he  did  not  say : 
"  How  can  man  die  better 

Than  facing  fearful  odds 
For  the  ashes  of  his  fathers 
And  the  altars  of  his  gods  ?" 

While  Black  Hawk 
and  his  tribe  were 
away  on  their  annual 
hunt,  white  specula- 
tors seized  their  vil- 
lage —  all  their  wig- 
wams and  their  corn 
land.  Even  yet  the 
old  chief  by  his  acts 
keeps  his  hold  on  our 
sympathies.  His 
people  agreed  to 
allow  the  intruders  to 
cultivate  half  the  700- 
acre  field  while  "  the 
squaws  "  should  cul- 
tivate the  remainder; 
an  arrangement 
which  necessarily  led 
to  speedy  hostilities. 

John  Reynolds  was 
then  Governor  of 
Illinois,  the  capital 
town  being  Kaskas- 
kia.  On  the  petition 
of  eight  of  the  squat- 
ters he  called  ouc  the 
militia  to  maintain 


HLACK    HAWK. 


the  "rights"  of  the 
whites  at  Black  Hawk  village,  and  wrote  to  General  Clark*  (superin- 
tendent of  Indian  affairs)  at  St.  Louis  for  aid  in  removing  the  Indians. 
The  Illinois  militia  contingent  was  raised  to  1,600  and  assembled  at 
Beardstown,  and  General  Gaines,  with  them  and  what  United  States 
Regulars  he  could  muster,  marched  to  the  place  and  took  possession  of 
the  wigwams  and  cornfield;  the  Indians,  helpless  and  hopeless,  having 

*  Brother  of  our  old  hero,  Georjje  Rogers  Clark. 


104 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  Black 
Hawk  War. 


abandoned  all  and  retired  across  the  Mississippi.  Moved  with  compas- 
sion for  the  wretched  fugitives  encamped  on  the  other  bank  of  the 
river  under  a  white  flag,  Governor  Reynolds  and  General  Gaines  sent 
them  food  enough  to  keep  them  alive,  and  on  June  30,  1831,  Black 
Hawk  signed  a  new  treaty  confirming  the  provisions  of  the  former  one. 

Next  followed  an  instance  of  the  perversity  by  which  the  Indian 
always  puts  himself  in  the  wrong.  A  band  of  Black  Hawk's  men  went 
Up  to  prajrie  <ju  Chien,  surprised  and  attacked  a  camp  of  Menominees 
and  Sioux  and  killed  twenty-eight  of  their  unsuspecting  fellow-savages  ! 
Of  course  demand  was  made  on  Black  Hawk  to  deliver  up  the  killers, 
and,  also  of  course,  Black  Hawk  failed  to  do  so. 

During  the  winter  of  1831-2  a  grand  scheme  was  matured  by  Black 
Hawk  and  his  emissaries  (especially  his  evil  genius,  White  Cloud  "  the 
Prophet  "),  by  which  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  Pottawatomies  and  Winne- 
bagoes  were  to  join  the  Sauks  in  recovering  their  ancient  possessions. 
One  may  laugh — or  cry,  as  his  humor  is — at  the  pitiful  array  which 
marched  out  for  the  "  Black  Hawk  War." 

Under  this  fatal  illusion  he  assembled  his  people  in   March,  1832,  on  the  west  bank  of  the 

Mississippi now  the  site  of  the  flourishing  city  of  Madison,  Iowa.     Here  were  assembled  368 

braves,  mounted  on  tough,  muscular  ponies,  not  unlike  their  masters,  capable  of  great  endurance, 
with  slender  means  of  subsistence;  squaws,  jaded  down  with  unceasing  toil,  and  their  quota  of 
half-clad  children,  shivering  in  the  humid  blasts  of  early  spring,  bent  on  a  trip  to  their  old  home 
east  of  the  Mississippi,  probably  not  without  some  faint  hopes  of  repossessing  it.  .  .  .  The  men 
leaped  on  the  backs  of  their  ponies  and  whipped  the  patient  beasts  up  the  west  bank  of  the  river, 
while  the  squaws  manned  the  canoes  and  tugged  up  the  stream  with  their  materials  of  war,  consist- 
ing of  a  few  kettles,  blankets,  etc. 

The  little  squad  crossed  the 
Mississippi,  and  as  they  passed  Dix- 
on's  ferry  station  Black  Hawk  told 
Mr.  Dixon  that  he  would  not  go 
back,  nor  would  he  fight  unless  at- 
tacked. Then  he  went  on,  doing  no 
harm  to  the  trembling  settlers.  The 
troops  came  up  with  him  when  he 
was  engaged  in  a  dog -feast  pow-\vo\v 
with  Winnebagoes  and  other  chiefs; 
including  "  Shaubena  "  (alias  "  Shab- 
bonay,"  "Chambly"  and  sundry  other 
allied  names),  of  the  Chicago  region, 
of  whom  we  shall  hear  more.* 
It  would  be  useless  to  follow  the  particulars  of  the  so-called  Black 
Hawk  War.  Abraham  Lincoln's  captaincy  in  it  has  drawn  attention  to  it, 
and  the  story  may  be  found  told  in  many  shapes  by  many  pens.  Chi- 

*  This  old  chief  had  been  an  aid  to  Tecumseh  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  but  from  1813  forward  a  constant  friend 
of  the  whites.    He  now  flatly  refused  to  cast  his  lot  with  Black  Hawk. 


SHAUBENA. 


*  >H^!Z'~ 

"         ' 


This  sheet  of  "  memorial  portraits."  and  the  others  facing  pages  105,  112,  113,  120,  121,  128, 
129,  136  and  137,  are  fac  similes  oi  those  exhibited  at  the  Philadelphia  Centennial  Exposition  of 
1876,  by  C.  D.  Mosher,  photographer  ;  now  obtained  from  Alfred  Brisbois,  successor,  125  State 
Street,  Chicago. 


104 


•   ^f3* 


THE    VANISHING  RACE.  105 

cago  served  as  a  harbor  of  refuge.  At  Plainfield,  on  the  Dupage,  lived 
the  Rev.  S.  R.  Beggs,  who  has  written  a  book  giving  his  experiences. 
His  house  was  fortified  and  the  residents  and  fugitives  assembled  there. 
A  rescuing  party,  under  Col.  Hamilton,  started  out  from  Chicago  (forty 
miles)  and  convoyed  them  in.  Mr.  Beggs  adds: 

There  was  no  extra  room  for  us  when  we  arrived  in  Chicago.  Two  or  three  families  of  our 
number  were  put  into  a  room  fifteen  feet  square,  with  as  many  more  families,  and  here  we  stayed 
crowding  and  jamming  each  other  for  several  days  .  .  .  The  next  morning  our  first  babe  was 
born,  and  during  our  stay  fifteen  tender  infants  were  added  to  our  number.  One  may  imagine  the 
confusion  of  the  scene — children  crying  and  women  complaining  within  doors,  while  without  the 
tramp  of  soldiery,  the  rolling  of  drums  and  the  roar  of  cannon  added  to  the  din.* 

Only  a  handful  of  Black  Hawk's  band  survived  the  "war."  (A 
few  who  escaped  across  the  upper  Mississippi  were  met  and  killed  by 
their  old  foes,  the  Sioux.)  Black  Hawk  himself  was  delivered  up  as 
prisoner  of  war  and  in  1833  was  sent  to  Washington.  At  the  Hast  he 
was  received  with  flattering  attentions,  especially  from  ladies,  to  which 
he  (wily  savage!)  responded  with  "Pretty  squaw  !  Pretty  squaw  ! "  He 
was  released  and  returned  to  his  people,  and  in  1838  he  died  at  his 
home  on  the  Des  Moines  River  (lowaville),  where  his  remains  lie; 
buried  in  a  sitting  posture,  after  the  manner  of  his  tribe.  Mr.  Blanchard 
calls  him  "The  last  native  defender  of  the  soil  of  the  North  West." 


It  was    1833,  and   5,000  or  more   Indians  were  assembled  at  Chi- 
cago, around  the  fort,  the  village,  the  rivers  and  the  portage,  to  treat 
for  the  sale  of  their  entire  remaining  possessions  in   Illinois  and  Wis- 
consin.     The  commissioners    on    the   part  of    the    Government  were 
George   B.  Porter,  Thomas  J.  V.  Owen  and  William  Weatherford,  and  The  last  ch,- 
the   Indians  present  were  the  tribes  of  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas  and   Treaty"  ' 
Pottawatomies,  with  chiefs  and  warriors,  squaws  and  pappooses,  ponies 
and   dogs.     All  who  chose  could  come,  and  we  may  be  sure  that  few 
and  regretful  were  the  stay-at-homes  ;  for  a  treaty  meant  a  feast,  and  a 
feast,  soon  or  late,  became  an  orgie. 

Mr.  Hurlbut  quotes  largely  from  Charles  Joseph  Latrobe's  "  Ram- 
bles in  North  America,"  and  from  his  selection  we  will  condense  the 
following  realistic  sketch  : 

A  mushroom  town  on  the  verge  of  a  level  country,  crowded  to 
its  utmost  capacity  and  beyond.  A  surrounding  cloud  of  Indians 
encamped  on  the  prairie,  beneath  the  shelter  of  the  woods,  on  the  river- 
side or  by  the  low  sand  hills  along  the  lake.  Companies  of  old  war- 
riors under  every  bush,  smoking,  arguing,  palavering,  pow-wowing,  with 
no  apparent  prospect  of  agreement. 

*  It  seems  possible  that  the  Reverend  gentleman,  upon  strict  cross-examination,  might  have  abated  a  few  of  the 
6f  teen  babies  and  somewhat  of  the  roar  of  the  artillery.  Seeing  that  the  whole  number  of  fugitives,  old  and  young,  from 
Plainfield  was  125,  the  sudden  arrival  of  fifteen  little  strangers  would  indicate  a  remarkable  unanimity— not  to  say  a  con- 
spiracy— among  parents;  and  considering  that  there  was  no  enemy  within  100  miles,  the  indicated  cannonade  is.  to  say 
the  least,  excessive. 


io6 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Ho\v  Chicago 
looked  to  a 
stranger. 


Within  the  palisades  of  the  little  fort  lived  the  main  part  of  the 
enlightenment  of  the  place,  in  the  small  group  of  officers  attached  to 
the  slender  garrison.  On  the  north  side  of  the  river  some  temporary 
plank  huts  gave  shelter  to  the  Commissioners  and  their  attendants. 
Next  in  rank  were  certain  storekeepers  and  merchants,  looking  for 
profits  incidental  to  such  extraordinary  occasions  as  this. 

You  will  find  horse-dealers  and  horse-stealers,  rogues  of  every  description,  white,  black,  brown 
and  red  ;  half-breeds,  quarter-breeds  and  no  breed  at  all ;  dealers  in  pigs,  poultry  and  potatoes  ; 
men  pursuing  Indian  claims,  some  for  tracts  of  land,  others  for  pigs  which  the  wolves  had  doubt- 
less eaten,  but  which,  no  matter,  the  Indians  might  be  made  to  pay  for  .  .  .  sharpers  of  every 
degree,  peddlers,  grog-sellers,  Indian  agents  and  Indian  traders,  and  contractors  to  supply  the 
Indians  with  food.  The  little  village  was  in  an  uproar  from  morning  to  night  and  from  night  to 
morning;  for  during  the  hours  of  darkness  .  .  .  the  Indians  howled,  sang,  wept,  yelled  and 
\vhoopedintheirvariousencampments  .  .  .  One  chaos  of  mud,  rubbish  and  confusion.  Frame 
and  clapboard  houses  were  springing  up  daily  under  the  active  axes  and  hammers  of  the  speculators. 
.  .  .  Races  frequently  occurred  on  a  piece  of  level  sward  without  the  village.  .  .  .  "  Stim- 
ulating," betting  and  gambling  were  the  order  of  the 
day  ...  I  loved  to  stroll  out,  toward  sunset,  across 
the  river  [North  Branch],  and  gaze  upon  the  level 
horizon  over  the  surface  of  the  prairie.  Not  far  from 
the  river  lay  many  groups  of  tents  constructed  of 
coarse  canvas,  blankets  and  mats,  and  surmounted  by 
poles  supporting  meat,  moccasins  and  rags.  Their 
vicinity  was  always  enlivened  by  various  painted 
Indian  figures  dressed  in  the  most  gaudy  attire. 

Randolph,  Lake  and  Water  streets 
and  their  crossings,  from  State  to 
Market,  must  have  been  a  very  pan- 
demonium in  our  view,  but  to  the 
Indians  a  very  paradise ;  for  here, 
without  labor  or  self-denial,  they  could 
freely  enjoy  the  food  and  drink  which 
it  usually  takes  labor  and  self-denial 
to  provide.  Why  should  they  hurry  ?  This  might  go  on  forever, 
for  aught  they  cared.  To  the  opening  speech  of  Commissioner 
Porter,  which  stated  that  their  great  father  in  Washington  had  heard 
that  they  wished  to  sell  their  land,  they  promptly  replied  that  their 
great  father  "must  have  seen  a  bad  bird  which  told  him  a  lie ;  for  that 
far  from  wishing  to  sell  their  land,  they  wished  to  keep  it."  And  when 
further  pressed  they  looked  at  the  sky,  saw  a  few  wandering  clouds,  and 
straightway  adjourned  sine  die;  as  the  weather  was  not  clear  enough  for 
so  solemn  a  council. 

In  vain  the  signal  gun  from  the  fort  gave  notice  of  an  assemblage 
of  chiefs.  After  weeks  of  delay,  a  council  fire  was  at  last  lighted  in  an 
open  shed  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river. 

The  relative  positions  of  the  commissioners  and  other  whites  before  the  council  fire  and  that 
of  the  Red  Children  of  the  Forest  and  Prairie  were  to  me  strikingly  impressive.  The  glorious  light 
of  the  setting  sun,  streaming  in  under  the  low  roof  of  the  council  house,  fell  full  on  the  faces  of  the 


INDIAN    GIRL. 


THE    VANISHING  RACE. 


107 


former  as  they  faced  the  west,  while  the  pale  light  of  the  east  hardly  lighted  up  the  dark  and 
painted  lineaments  of  the  poor  Indians  whose  souls  evidently  clove  to  their  birthright  in  that  quar- 
ter. .  .  The  business  of  arranging  the  terms  of  an  Indian  treaty,  whatever  it  might  have  been 
200  years  ago,  while  the  Indians  had  not,  as  now,  thrown  aside  the  vigorous  intellectual  character 
which  distinguished  many  among  them,  now  lies  chiefly  between  the  various  agents,  traders,  credit- 
ors and  half-breeds,  on  whom  custom  and  necessity  have  made  the  degraded  chiefs  dependent,  and 
the  Government  agents.  When  the  former  have  seen  matters  so  far  arranged  that  their  self-interest 
and  various  schemes  and  claims  are  likely  to  be  fulfilled  and  allowed,  the  silent  acquiescence  of  the 
Indian  follows  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Following  out  the  suggestion  contained  in  the  final  words  above 
quoted,  and  looking  up  the  treaty  itself  as  recorded  in  the  "  Book  of 
Indian  Treaties,"  one  comes  upon  some  curious  facts.  The  chief  open- 
ing for  questionable  practices  seems  to  have  lain  in  the  "  reservation  "  of 
funds,  not  demanded  or  received  by  the  Indians,  but  allotted  to  everyone 
who  could  get  his  claim  allowed  by  the  Commissioners.  $100,000  was 
to  go  from  the  Government  "  to  satisfy  sundry  individuals  in  behalf  of 
whom  reservations  [of  land]  were  asked,  which  the  Commissioners 
refused  to  grant,"  according  to  "  Schedule  A."  Next  $150,000  to  satisfy 
claims  made  against  the  said  United  Nation  [Indians]  which  they  have 
admitted  to  be  justly  due,  according  to  "  Schedule  B." 

Now,  turning  to  the  details  of  the  treaty,  we  find  under  the  two 
Schedules  some  500  or  more  names  of  persons  to  receive  from  $100 
to  $17,000  apiece.  Searching  through  the  long  list  we  come  to  several 
old  friends.  Beside  persons  of  Indian  blood,  like  the  Ouillemettes, 
Beatibiens,  Chief  Robinson,  Billy  Caldwell,  Indian  children  of  John  K. 
Clark,  etc.,  we  find  "Margaret  Hall"  and  her  children  and  grand- 
children, designated  by  names  which  identify  this  as  the  line  of  the  elder 
of  the  "captive  girls"  so  often  named,  including  William  and  James 
(Kinzie)  and  David  (Hall),  her  sons,  remembered  to  the  amount  of 
$5,000.  Again  James  Kinzie,  by  himself,  $5,000  and  $300.  Also,  John 
H.,  Ellen  M.  (Wolcott),  Maria  (Hunter)  and  Robert  A.  Kinzie, 
$5,000  each,  and  Margaret  Helm,  $2,000.  Indeed,  everybody  near  by, 
except  the  Clybourns,  seems  to  have  got  a  slice.  Mr.  Hurlbut  says  : 

One  gentleman  .  .  .  was  present  at  the  treaty  and  was  familiar  with  the  whole  proceedings 
whose  ideas  of  the  business  scarcely  accorded  with  those  who  would  commend  the  actions  of  our 
Government  officials  on  that  occasion.  .  .  "It  is  all  clear  upon  my  mind  [he  says],  and  I  pre- 
sume I  know  it  better  than  any  other  man  that  can  be  found  at  this  date.  .  .  You  or  hardly  any 
other  man  can  imagine  what  was  done,  or  how  ridiculous  the  whole  thing  was  carried  on  or  closed 
up.  It  should  have  been  conducted  upon  principles  of  truth  and  justice,  but  the  whole  thing  was  a 
farce,  acted  by  those  in  office  in  our  Government."* 

At  first  blush,  the  allotments  of  money  to  the  Kinzie  claimants 
seem  to  bear  out  the  slurs  of  Mr.  Hurlbut's  anonymous  correspondent ; 
but  further  examination  brings  more  light.  We  have  seen  how,  on 
August  I5th,  1812,  all  the  savings  of  John  Kinzie's  long  life  of  toil, 

•The  Senate,  in  ratifying  the  treaty,  directed  that  the  claims  should  be  examined  by  a  commissioner  and  only 
such  amounts  be  paid  as  should  be  found  justly  due.  (This  may  have  been  the  expectation  when  the  claims  were 
inserted.) 


hue  men  s 
interest  in 


io8  THE   STORY    OF   CHICAGO. 

danger  and  privation  were  taken  from  him  by  violence,  and  how  he  then 
went  from  comparative  riches  to  absolute  poverty,  from  which  he  never 
emerged.  The  old  homestead,  sanctified  by  the  memory  of  long  and 
boundless  hospitality  to  all  comers,  white  or  red,  fell  into  disrepair, 
squalor  and  neglect,  and  the  fine  family,  those  who  survived  of  it, 
sought  refuge  with  a  humble  fellow-townsman  (Beaubien),  who  enter- 
tained them  as  best  he  could,  thus  following  the  example  of  beneficence 
set  to  us  all  by  our  first  pioneer,  his  guest,  John  Kinzie  (Shaw-nee- 
au-kee). 

The  loss  so  suffered  was  surely  not  less  than  $30,000,  and  now  for 
twenty  years  it  had  been  borne  in  helpless  silence.  Meanwhile  the 
respect  and  affection  entertained  for  "  Shaw-nee-aw-kee  "  by  the  Indians 
had  been  of  immense  value  to  the  Government  and  citizens  of  the 
Union  ;  not  merely  in  their  daily  intercourse,  but  in  the  negotiation  of 
two  great  treaties,  yielding  incalculable  benefit  to  us  and  our  kind 
forever. 

Both  parties  to  this  latest  treaty  were  in  a  measure  bound  to  make 
good  the  Kinzies'  loss;  the  Government,  because  it  had  failed  to  give  its 
citizen  the  protection  against  alien  enemies  which  he  had  a  right  to 
claim  ;  the  Indians,  because  they  were  the  aliens  who  destroyed  the 
property.  On  the  whole,  one  is  disposed  to  wish  that  the  sums  named 
may  have  been  paid,  together  with  such  of  the  other  "  reservations  "  as 
were  equally  well  founded. 

Apropos  to  all  this  ;  one  observes  that  old  Shaubena  (called  "Sha- 
bonee"  by  Hurlbut),  who  had  been  the  constant  and  invaluable  friend 
of  the  white  man  all  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  whose  name  appears  as  a 
signer  to  the  main  treaty  and  to  each  supplementary  article,  has  no  place 
TshLauSbenald  in  tne  "reserved"  lists.  True,  we  find  a  separate  clause  aimed  toward 
giving  him  two  sections  of  land  ;  but  that  clause  was  stricken  out  by 
the  Senate  at  the  confirmation  of  the  treaty.  White  friends  "chipped 
in,"  bought  him  a  few  acres  near  Morris,  and  built  him  a  house.  There 
he  died  in  1859.  Probably  if  more  had  been  given  him  he  would  have 
died  sooner,  for —  he  was  an  Indian,  and  his  own  worst  enemy. 

The  money  paid  and  the  goods  delivered,  the  Indians  shook  the 
dust  off  their  feet  and  departed;  the  dust-shaking  being  literal,  for 
once,  as 'they  joined,  just  before  starting,  in  a  final  "war-dance."  For 
this  strange  scene  we  fortunately  have  as  witness  ex-Chief  Justice  Caton, 
previously  quoted  herein.  He  estimates  the  dancers  at  800,  that  being 
all  the  braves  that  could  be  mustered  out  of  the  5,000  members  then 
present  of  the  departing  tribes.  The  date  was  August  18,  1853.  He  says  : 

They  appreciated  that  it  was  the  last  on  their  native  soil — that  it  was  a  sort  of  funeral  ceremony 
of  old  associations  and  memories,  and  nothing  was  omitted  to  lend  to  it  all  the  grandeur  and 


THE    VANISHING  RACE. 


109 


solemnity  possible.  .  .  .»  They  assembled  at  the  Council  House  [northeast  corner  of  Rush  and 
Kinzie  streets].  All  were  naked  except  a  strip  of  cloth  around  the  loins.  Their  bodies  were  covered 
\vithagreatvarietyofbrilliantpaints.  On  their  faces  particularly  they  seemed  to  have  exhausted 
their  art  of  hideous  decoration.  Foreheads,  cheeks  and  noses  were  covered  with  curved  stripes  of 
red  or  vermilion,  which  were  edged  with  black  points  and  gave  the  appearance  of  a  horrid  grin.  The 
long,  coarse  black  hair  was  gathered  into  scalp  locks  on  the  tops  of  theirheads  and  decorated  with  a 
profusion  of  hawks'  and  eagles'  feathers,  some  strung  together  so  as  to  extend  down  the  back  nearly 
to  the  ground.  They  were  principally  armed  with  tomahawks  and  war-clubs.  They  were  led  by 
what  answered  for  a  band  of  music  which  created  a  discordant  din  of  hideous  noises,  produced  by 
beating  on  hollow  vessels  and  striking  sticks  and  clubs  together.  They  advanced  with  a  continued 
dance.  Their  actual  progress  was  quite  slow.  They  proceeded  up  along  the  river  on  the  North  Side, 


-^ 

•'^-       s 


• 
,.        •'*• 


HIE   SAUGANASH    HOTEL. 

stopping  in  front  of  every  house  to  perform  some  extra  antics.  They  crossed  the  North  Branch  on 
the  old  bridge,  about  Kinzie  street,  and  proceeded  south  to  the  bridge  which  stood  where  Lake  street 
bridge  is  now,  nearly  in  front  and  in  full  view  from  the  Sauganash  Hotel  [Wigwam  lot,  Lake  and 
Market  streets].  A  number  of  young  married  people  had  rooms  there.  The  parlor  was  in  the 
second  story  fronting  west,  from  the  windows  of  which  the  best  view  of  the  dance  was  to  be  had, 
and  these  were  filled  with  ladies. 

The  young  lawyer,  afterward  Chief  Justice,  had  come  to  the  West 
in  1833,  and  less  than  a  year  before  this  had  gone  back  to  Oneida 
County,  New  York,  and  there  married  Miss  Laura  Sherrill ;  and  they 
are  probably  the  oldest  Chicago  couple  now  living.  They  were  among 
the  lookers  on  from  those  upper  windows  ;  a  crowd  all  interested,  many 
agitated  and  some  really  frightened  at  the  thought  of  the  passions  and 
memories  that  must  be  inflaming  those  savage  breasts  and  that  were 
making  them  the  very  picture  of  demoniac  fury. 

Although  the  din  and  clatter  had  been  heard  for  some  time,  they  did  not  come  into  view,  from 
this  point  of  observation,  till  they  had  proceeded  so  far  west  [on  the  North  Side]  as  to  come  on  a  line 


The  Farewell 
War  Dance 

in  1835. 


110 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


with  the  house  .  .  .  All  the  way  to  the  South  Branch  bridge  .  .  .  cameMhe  wild  band,  which  was 
in  front  as  they  came  upon  the  bridge,  redoubling  their  blows,  closely  followed  by  the  warriors  who 
had  now  wrought  themselves  into  a  perfect  frenzy. 

The  morning  was  very  warm  and  the  perspiration  was  pouring  from  them.  Their  counte- 
nances had  assumed  an  expression  of  all  the  worst  passions  .  .  .  fierce  anger,  terrible  hate,  dire 
revenge,  remorseless  cruelty  —  all  were  expressed  in  their  terrible  features  .  .  .  Their  toma- 
hawks and  clubs  were  thrown  and  brandished  in  every  direction  ;  .  .  .  and  with  every  step  and 
every  gesture  they  uttered  the  most  frightful  yells.  .  .  .  The  dance  consisted  of  leaps  and  spas- 
modic steps,  now  forward  and  now  back  or  sidewise,  the  whole  body  distorted  into  every  imagin- 
able position;  most  generally  stooping  forward  with  the  head  and  face  thrown  up.  the  back  arched 


INDIAN    WAR    DANCE. 

down,  first  one  foot  thrown  far  forward  and  withdrawn  and  the  other  similarly  thrust  out,  frequently 
squatting  quite  to  the  ground,  and  all  with  a  movement  almost  as  quick  as  lightning.  .  .  .  The 
yells  and  screams  they  uttered  were  broken  up  and  multiplied  and  rendered  all  the  more  hideous 
by  a  rapid  clapping  of  the  mouth  with  the  palm  of  the  hand.  .  .  . 

When  the  head  of  the  column  reached  the  hotel,  while  they  looked  up  at  the  windows  at  the 
"chemokoman  squaws,"  ...  it  seemed  as  if  we  had  a  picture  of  hell  itself  before  us  and  a  carnival 
of  the  damned  spirits  there  confined  .  .  They  paused  in  their  progress,  for  extra  exploits,  in  front 
of  Dr.  John  T.  Temple's  house,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  Lake  and  Franklin  streets  .  .  .  and 
then  again  in  front  of  the  Tremont,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Lake  and  Dearborn  sts.,  where  the 
appearance  of  ladies  in  the  windows  again  inspired  them  with  new  life  and  energy.  Thence  they 
proceeded  down  to  Fort  Dearborn  .  .  .  where  we  will  take  a  final  leave  of  my  old  friends  with 
more  good  wishes  for  their  future  welfare  than  I  really  dare  hope  will  be  realized. 

The  Indians  were  conveyed  to  the  lands  selected  for  them  (and 
accepted  by  a  deputation  sent  by  them  in  advance  of  the  treaty)  in 
Clay  County,  Missouri,  opposite  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  The 
Missourians  were  hostile  to  their  new,  strange  neighbors,  and  two  years 
later  they  were  again  moved  ;  this  time  to  a  reservation  in  Iowa,  near 


THE    VANISHING  RACE.  in 

Council  Bluffs.  Once  more  the  fate  of  the  poor  waif,  "move  on,  move 
on,"  was  theirs,  and  then  they  halted  in  Kansas  for  many  years. 

At  the  present  time  (1891)  it  is  hard  to  trace  the  Indians  who 
departed  hence  fifty-six  years  ago.  They  are  lost  tribes.  The  report 
for  1890  of  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  affairs  gives  Pottawatomies  of 
various  descriptions  scattered  in  many  places.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
Ottawas  and  Chippewas. 

The  larger  part  of  the  Pottawatomies  (known  of  old  as  the  "  Woods 
Band"  in  contradistinction  to  the  "Prairie  Band")  have  renounced 
tribal  relations  and  are  known  as  the  "Citizen  Band."  They  number 
scarcely  two  thousand  souls  and  occupy  a  thirty-mile  square — 575,000 
acres — in  Oklahoma. 

The  Commissioner's  report  says  but  little  about  them,  giving  more 
attention  to  the  "Prairie  Band,"  since  they  are  still  a  tribe  and  so 
"wards  of  the  nation."  They  number  only  462,  and  hold  in  common 
77, 357  acres  in  Kansas,  where  they  are  cloinsr  fairly,  but  are  pestered  Present  state 

*    •*•"  J  O  J'  l  of  the  same 

with  the  dregs  of  the    "Citizen  Band"    who  fall  back  on  the  tribe  like    Tribei 
the  returned  prodigal — only  unrepentant,  and  still  fit  company  only  for 
the  husk-eating  swine. 

Of  the  "Citizen  Band"  Special  Agent  Porter  says: 

The  Pottawatomies  are  citizens  of  the  United  States,  thoroughly  tinctured  with  white  blood. 
Nearly  all  of  them  speak  English  and  read  and  write.  Some  of  them  are  quite  wealthy,  being  good 
farmers,  with  large  herds  of  stock.  Their  morals  are  below  the  standard,  considering  their  advanced 
state  as  a  civilized  people. 

So,  once  more,  "Good-bye,  Indians."  It  was  said  of  old  "  The  first 
Chicago  white  man  was  black;"  and  it  may  almost  as  truly  be  said  "  The 
last  Chicago  red  man  is  white,"  seeing  that  they  are  behaving  them- 
selves so  much  like  their  neighbors. 


,X 


k!^' 


INDIANS   ON    THE   MOVE. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


Begin 
the 
and 
gan 


ning  of 
Illinois 
Michi- 
Canal. 


VERY    HARD    WORK. 

F  the  decade  from  182010  1830  was  a  dull 
and  moveless  one,  the  next  was  humming 
with  coming  things.  Some  of  the  most 
important  and  far-reaching  occurrences  of 
our  history  date  back  to  the  fourth  decade. 
The  canal  now  took  shape,  for  in  1827 
Daniel  P.  Cook,  Illinois'  representative  in 
Congress,  had  obtained  the  passage  of  the 
bill  granting  alternate  sections  of  land  for 
six  miles  on  each  side  of  the  line  to  aid  in 
its  building.* 

It  was  long  years  after  the  canal  was 
"begun,"  in  the  sense  of  preliminary 
arrangement,  before  it  assumed  physical 
form.  To  use  the  Western  phrase,  the  "wind-work"  had  to  be  done 
before  the  earth-work  could  begin.  It  was  a  struggle  to  get  the  land- 
donation  bill  through  Congress;  another  to  decide  on  the  plan,  size  and 
location  ;  another  to  get  money  for  the  work.  The  last  was  only 
accomplished  after,  by  another  struggle,  the  State  had  been  induced  to 
guarantee  the  bonds.  The  first  earth-work  was  the  building  of  "Archer's 
Road"  (now  Archer  avenue)  from  Chicago  to  Lockport — an  outlay 
($40,000)  which  was  a  great  aid  to  the  canal,  but  which  was  opposed 
as  a  "job"  because  Colonel  Archer,  canal  commissioner,  had  property 
at  Lockport. 

At  last,  on  July  4,  1836,  there  was  a  grand  celebration  of  inaugura- 
tion. A  gay  crowd,  composed  of  citizens  and  invited  guests,  assembled 
in  Court  House  square,  the  signal  being  given  by  three  guns  fired  from 
the  fort.  The  officers  of  the  day  were  J.  B.  F.  Russell,  marshal ;  and 
as  aides,  E.  D.  Taylor,  Robert  Kinzie,  G.  W.  Snow,  J.  S.  C.  Hogan,  H. 
Hubbard  and  W.  Kimball.  At  n  A.  M.  the  steamer  Chicago  started 
from  Dearborn  street,  loaded  with  excursionists,  and  followed  by  the 
schooners  Sea  Serpent  and  Llewellin  and  other  craft,  all  towed  by  horses. 

*  For  this  service  we  owe  him  much  thanks,  and  our  chief  acknowledgment  thus  far  is  the  naming  our  county 
after  him  when  it  was  organized  in  1831.  Senators  Thomas,  Edwards  and  Kane  were  also  efficient  in  forwarding  the 
great  measure,  and  the  two  latter  were  honored  by  giving  their  names  to  Edwards  and  Kane  counties. 

112 


VERY  HARD    WORK. 

The  land  procession  moved  on  foot,  on  horseback  and  in  carriages,  and 
all  assembled  at  the  "  New  House"  at  Canal-Port  (Bridgeport). 

In  the  good  old  fashion,  the  exercises  were  opened  by  the  reading 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  This  was  done  by  Judge  Smith. 
Next  came  an  eloquent  address  by  Dr.  William  B.  Egan,  our  early  wit  and 
humorist,  still  regretted  by  a  thousand  old  friends  and  admirers.  Gurdon 
Hubbard  followed,  recalling  and  describing  to  his  hearers  the  condition 
of  the  place  when,  eighteen  years  before,  he  had  ascended  the  lonely 
Portage  Creek  in  a  canoe.  Then  the  crowd  adjourned  to  the  canal 
site  where  Colonel  Archer  "turned  the  first  shovelful  of  earth." 

Does  any  reader  suppose  that  all  was  now  plain  sailing  ?  Far  frbm 
it.  The  pinch  was  yet  to  come — in  fact,  several  pinches.  The  incredibly 
foolish  "  Internal  Improvement  Act," 
of  1837,  was  passed — Abraham  Lin- 
coln, member  of  the  legislature,  one 
of  its  warmest  supporters  —  and  wild 
inflation  followed.  By  1839  a  million 
and  a  quarter  had  been  laid  out  and 
the  commissioners  were  at  their  wits' 
end  to  find  means  to  proceed.  The 
scheme  was  adopted  for  issuing 
"  Canal  Scrip,"  in  denominations 
running  from  $i  to  $100,  and  some 
$400,000  of  it  were  given  out  in  all 
when,  about  1842,  Illinois  failed  to 
pay  the  interest  on  her  debt;  money 
was  gone,  credit  was  gone,  and  work 
was  suspended.  More  than  four  and 
a  half  millions  had  been  spent,  and 
nothing  finished. 

Pausing  only  long  enough  to  catch  its  breath,  enterprise  began 
again.  Arthur  Bronson.of  New  York,  and  William  B.  Ogden,  Justin  But- 
terfield  and  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  of  Chicago,  were  a  self-constituted  council 
of  war  to  carry  on  the  fight.  A  well  known  scrap  of  soldier-wisdom  is 
that  toward  the  end  of  every  well  contested  battle  there  comes  a  pause, 
a  crisis,  wherein  he  who  takes  the  initiative  wins  the  clay.  So  it  was 
here.  To  quote  Mr.  Blanchard  (p.  449):  "Work  was  now  resumed  on 
the  canal,  and  under  the  able  and  honest  administration  of  these  trustees 
[Capt.  Wm.  H.  Swift,  U.  S.  A. ;  David  Leavitt,  of  the  Am.  Ex.  Bank, 
N.  Y.,  and  Jacob  Fry,  of  Illinois]  it  was  finished  April  19,  1848,  and  on 
May  i,  1871,  the  last  dollar 'of  the  canal  debt  was  paid,  and  the  canal 
itself,  with  its  unsold  lands,  and  nearly  $100,000  surplus  in  the  treasury, 
was  given  up  to  the  State." 


HON.  D.  P.  COOK. 


Persistence 
under  dif- 
liculties. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


One  of  the  "alternate  Sections"  granted  by  the  Act  of  Congress  of 

1827  chanced  to  be  Section  9,  Town  39  North,  in  Range  13  East  of  the 

3d  Principal  Meridian,  and  that  was  the  tract  embracing  the  very  centre 

original  Town  of  the  coming  metropolis,  for  its  boundaries  are  Chicago  avenue  on  the 

surveyed. 

north,  State  street  on  the  east,  Madison  street  on  the  south  and 
Halsted  street  on  the  west. 

On  this  square  mile  the  Canal  Commissioners — Dr.  Jayne,  of 
Springfield;  Edmund  Roberts,  of  Kaskaskia,  and  Charles  Dunn — pro- 
ceeded, in  1830,  to  lay  out  the  town; 
James  Thompson,  a  St.  Louis  sur- 
veyor, being  employed  to  do  the 
platting  and  measurements.  Of 
course  the  commissioners  did  not 
include  the  whole  Section — a  square 
mile  must  have  seemed  too  absurdly 
large  for  Chicago. 

They  established  and  named,  as 
the  North  and-South  streets,  State, 
Dearborn,  Clark,  LaSalle,  Wells, 
Franklin,  Market,  Canal,  Clinton, 
Ijefferson  and  Desplaines;  as  East- 
fand-West  streets  they  made  Kinzie, 
Carroll,  Water,  Lake,  Randolph, 
Washington  and  Madison.  This 
makes  about  three -eighths  of  a 
square  mile ;  say  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres.  One  would  like  to  have 

been  an  unseen  observer  of  the  conclave  which  named  these  streets. 
Being  State  officers,  they  naturally  fixed  first  on  State  for  a  name. 
At  the  same  time  they  were  good  enough  to  honor  the  pioneer,  Dr. 
Alexander  Wolcott,  by  giving  his  name  to  the  continuation  of  State 
street,  north  of  the  river. 

The  locality  (being  one  wherein  the  Fort  was  by  far  the  most  im- 
portant factor)  almost  compelled  the  choice  of  Dearborn  for  the  next. 
Then  some  one — very  likely  Mr.  Edmunds,  of  Kaskaskia — insisted  on 
the  honored  patronymic  of  the  early  hero,  George  Rogers  Clark,  the 
captor  (1778)  of  Kaskaskia,  and  thus  savior  of  the  whole  Northwest. 
Two  other  Chicago  worthies  followed,  LaSalle  (1682)  and  Wells 
(1812),  after  which  (the  supply  of  local  heroes  seeming  to  fail)  they 
fell  back  on  National  dignitaries.  Franklin,  Clinton  and  Jefferson 
came  in  for  their  share,  interspersed  with  Market,  Water  and  Canal  for 
especial  local  reasons. 


DR.  \VM.  B.  EGAN. 


VERY  HARD    WORK. 


For  the  lateral  streets,  similar  principles  prevailed.  Kinzie  came 
in  for  local  distinction,  Water  and  Lake  for  physical  reasons,  and 
Carroll,  Randolph, Washington 
and  Madison  for  national  con- 
siderations.* 

Many  lots  were  sold  at 
auction  the  same  year  (1830) 
and  brought  from  ten  to  two 
hundred  dollars  each. 

Directly  south  of  section 
nine,    in  every    township,   lies 
section    sixteen.f      By  the1 
munificence    of     the     general 
government,  its    noble    gener-i 
osity  and  far  -  seeing  shrewd-j 
ness,  it  has  given,  at  one  stroke, ' 
one-thirty-sixth  of    all   its  do- 
mains to  the  cause  of  educa- 
tion, by  dedicating  the  section 
numbered    sixteen     in    every 
township  to   the  public  (free) 
schools  of  that  township.    This 
was  begun  in  1802,  when  Ohio 
(first  of  the  States  carved  out 
of  Virginia's  concession)  was  admitted  to  the  Union,  and  has  been  fol- 
lowed up  by  further  legislation. 

'Attention  is  invited  to  the  carefully  prepared  folding  map,  bound  up  with  this  volume ;  which  gives  first  the 
meandering  line  which  was  the  wild,  lonely,  bird-haunted  lake  shore  in  the  forgotten  ages  when  Michigan  flowed 
southward,  as  described  in  Chapter  I.  Besides  this,  the  map  gives  the  succeeding  lines  of  city  limits,  with  the  date  of 
each  enlargement  down  to  the  last— hitherto. 

tit  is  well  worth  while  to  learn  the  admirable  system 
pursued  in  the  United  States  government  surveys ;  whereby 
every  acre  of  the  broad  domain  is  separately  traceable;  being 
fixed  and  named  (or  possible  to  be  named)  distinct  from  every 
otheracre.  First,  the  township  (six  miles  square)  is  designated 
by  p.  certain  number,  in  a  certain  range,  east  (or  west)  of  a 
certain  meridian;  next,  each  section  (a  mile  square)  is  desig- 
nated by  number  in  that  township.  Thereafter  the  parts  of 
the  section  are  identified  by  the  points  of  the  compass.  To 
illustrate:  The  "Canal  Section*1  above-mentioned  is  (and  for- 
ever  will  be)  "Section  9,  Township  39,  North,  in  Range  14, 
West  of  the  sd  Principal  Meridian  ; "  and  the  portion  platted 
*;  (so  far  as  it  lies  east  of  Market  street)  is  the  southeast  quarter 
of  that  section. 

An  understanding  of  this  system  should  be  given  in 
every  school  in  the  land.  It  is  simple,  yet  too  vast  to  be  more 
than  indicated  here.  A  plat  giving  the  location  and  numbering 
of  the  sections  in  each  township  is  here  presented.  Every 
township  and  every  section  (except  where  interfered  with  by 
lakes,  or  by  the  **  narrowing  "  of  the  earth  as  it  approaches  the 
pole)  is  like  every  other. 

The  system  was  devised  in  1802,  by  Col.  Mansfield,  then 
surveyor  of  the  North-Western  Territory.  His  name  deserves 
to  be  known,  for  his  services  to  us  all  are  inestimable. 


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SOUTH 

PLAT  OF   ANY  TOWNSHIP. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

Reference  to  the  plat  of  any  township  will  show  the  relative  places 
of  Sections  9  and  16.  The  latter  in  Town  39,  13,  3,  is  bounded  by  Madi- 
son, State,  Twelfth  and  Halsted  streets.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  in  our 
favored  spot  the  two  most  valuable  square  miles  of  land  were  a  free 
gift  from  our  country  for  public  uses,  the  first  for  the  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan canal,  our  primal  source  of  material  prosperity;  the  second  for  our 
free  school  system,  the  perennial  spring  of  moral  progress. 

The  sale  of  the  school  section  was  the  greatest  administrational 
blunder — or  crime — in  our  annals.  The  tract  (640  acres)  was  divided 
into  142  blocks — perhaps  5,000  lots — among  the  most  valuable  both 
for  wharfing  and  building  purposes  in  the  present  city.  Suppose 
these  to  have  been  leased  instead  of  sold  (say  upon  fifty-year  leases,  in 
order  that  lessees  should  have  proper  inducement  to  build  upon  them), 
they  would  now  constitute  an  educational  "  foundation  "  beside  which 
Oxford,  Edinburgh  and  Cambridge,  Harvard,  Yale,  Cornell  and  Colum- 
bia, all  shrink  to  insignificance.  At  a  rough  guess  the  sum  may  be 
placed  at  $100,000,000. 

In  view  of  such  a  terrible  sacrifice  of  public  interest  to  private 
train,  it  seems  as  if  it  mi<jht  even  to-day  be  good  policy  to  enact 

Sale  of  the          °  _  '  .  «    , 

that  no  "school-land  "  in  the  country  should  ever  be  alienated  in  per- 
petuity ;   that  fifty  years'  leasehold  should  be  the  limit,  forever. 

The  Town  Commissioners  must 
have  been  the  layers-out  of  the  Sec- 
tion (the  original  plat  was  burned 
in  1871),  but  they  seem  only  to 
have  named  the  streets  as  occasion 
might  require ;  for  in  the  first 
record  of  town  council  proceedings 
in  the  first  Chicago  newspaper 
(John  Calhoun's  "Chicago  Demo- 
crat"), among  the  orders  passed  was 
one  giving  the  names  Madison, 
Monroe,  Adams  and  Jackson  to  the 
four  streets  next  south  of  Wash- 
ington. 

The  best  history  of  the  earliest 
days  of  Chicago  schools  is  con- 
tained in  a  pamphlet,  written  in 
1851  by  W.  H.  Wells,  which  was 

RICHARD  I.  HAMILTON.  11-11         c~\        i         i     i    i 

embodied   by  bnepnerd    Johnston 
(clerk  of  the  Board  of  Education),  in  a  larger  book  published  in  1881. 


VERY  HARD  WORK. 


7/7 


This  again  is  the   basis  of  a   very  full  and.  complete  treatment  of  the 
subject  by  Captain  Andreas  in  his  excellent  work  of  1884. 

Mr.  Wells  gives  the  text  of  a  petition  (not  dated)  praying  the 
commissioner  of  school  lands,  Richard  J.  Hamilton  (ar.  1831),  to  sell 
the  school  section.  The  petition  bore  95  names,  "  embracing  most  of 
the  principal  citizens  of  the  town."  But  Mr.  Hurlbut  hints  that  if  only 
genuine  signatures  and  citizenship  be  taken  into  account  they  would 
fall  far  below  that  number. 

Not  all  Chicagoans  were  in  favor  of  this  disposition  of  the  school 
section.  The  most  noted,  persistent  and  determined  opponent  was  that 
good  man  and  good  citizen,  Philo  Carpenter  (ar.  1832).  He  used  all 
his  powers  of  persuasion,  first,  that  the  sale  be  deferred  ;  next,  that  only 
alternate  blocks  be  sold.  All  in  vain;  138  blocks  were  sold  for  $38,- 
619.47,  and  four  only  retained.  The  four  retained  are:  block  i  (Madi- 
son, Halsted,  Monroe  and  Union  streets);  blocks  87  and  88  (Harrison 
street,  Fifth  avenue,  Polk  street  and 
the  river),  and  block  142  (Madison, 
State,  Monroe  and  Dearborn  streets); 
the  last  named  alone  worth  two  hun- 
dred times  the  entire  purchase  price 
of  the  138  blocks  that  were  sold.  (At 
the  same  time  it  is  worthy  of  note 
that  a  contemporary  of  "Deacon 
Carpenter,"  still  living,  says,  "  Oh, 
yes;  the  Deacon  had  an  addition  of 
his  own  just  west  of  the  School  Sec- 
tion, which  he  wanted  a  chance  to 
sell  first ! ") 

Well,   the    land  speculators 
triumphed  and  got  possession  of 
their  prey,  but  in   most  cases  a< 
very  few  years  saw  the   end  of 
their  rejoicing,  for  the  panic  of  1837  pricked  the  bubble  and  universal 
bankruptcy,  as  usual,  followed  upon  universal  inflation. 

The  wish  to  present  the  topographical  start  of  the  city,  as  exemplified 
by  the  laying  out  and  naming  of  its  first  streets,  an  operation  which 
moulded  its  outward  aspect  forever,  has  led  us  ahead  of  the  chronolog- 
ical course  of  events. 

Notice  has  already  been  taken  of  the  establishment  of  a  ferry  by 
Clybourn  &  Miller.* 

*  The  ferriage  fees  were  as  follows  : 

Foot  passengers,  6%"  cents;  man  and  horse,  12}^  cents;  one-horse  wagon,  25  cents;  two- horse  or  ox  wagon,  37^ 
cents;  mules  and  neat  cattle,  10  cents;  hog,  sheep  or  goat,  3  cents;  each  ico  weight  of  goods,  wares,  and  merchandize  and 
each  bushel  of  grain  or  other  article  sold  by  the  bushel,  6*4  cents. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

The  charges  were  liberal,  but  as  citizens  of  Cook  County  were 
exempt,  and  as  strangers  were  few  and  far  between,  the  business  lan- 
guished, and  by  1831  everybody  had  to  paddle  his  own  canoe.  Then 
Ferriage.  Mark  Beaubien  bought  a  scow  from  Miller  for  $65,  and  went  to  ferry- 
ing ;  but  we  may  imagine  that  he,  too,  grew  tired  of  working  gratis  for 
his  neighbors  and  needed  spurring  up,  for  the  County  Commissioners 
passed  an  order  that  he  should  ferry  citizens  of  Cook  County  over 
"from  daylight  to  dark  without  stopping." 

The  year  1831  saw  a  startling  innovation.  A  bridge  was  built  over 
the  South  Branch,  between  Lake  and  Randolph  streets.  What  is  still 
more  striking  is  the  way  it  was  paid  for:  $286.20  by  white  citizens,  and 
$200  by  the  Pottawatomies.  This  little  bit  of  intelligence  puts  our  red 
brethren  in  a  better  light  than  any  other  circumstance  we  have  yet 


UNITED    STATKS    HOTEL  (WEST  SIDE)  AND    SOUTH    BRANCH    BRIDGE,    1839. 

met.  Hurlbut  says  this  bridge  stood  till  1840.  A  picture  of  the  United 
States  Hotel  (West  Side),  taken  in  1839  an^  here  reproduced,  shows 
this  old  bridge. 

A  foot-bridge  was  thrown  across  the  north  branch  in  1832.  not  far 
from  the  present  Kinzie  street  bridge.  Both  these  bridges  being  low 
wooden  structures,  it  is  evident  that  no  navigation  of  either  branch  by 
lake  craft  was  possible.  The  idea  was  then,  doubtless,  to  leave  the 
main  river  clear  to  serve  as  a  harbor.  Nevertheless,  the  many  on  land 
gradually  prevailed  over  the  few  afloat ;  or,  rather,  expedients  were 
devised  for  the  compromise  of  the  contending  interests;  means  which 
endure  (though  with  vast  improvements)  to  this  day. 


VERY  HARD    WORK. 


119 


The  first  draw-bridge  was  thrown  across  the  river  at  Dearborn 
street  in  1834,  by  Nelson  R.  Norton  (1833).  Mr.  Hurlbut  (quoting  the 
"Times")  says: 

It  was  of  the  "  gallows  frame  "  pattern,  and  for  five  years  the  two  "gallows  frames,"  one  on 
either  side  of  the  river,  frightened  timid  people  at  night.  The  structure  was  about  300  feet  long 
and  the  opening  for  the  passage  of  craft  was  about  sixty  feet.  The  draw  worked  by  chain  cables 
and  opened  with  cranks." 

Mr.  Wentworth  (Fergus1  Hist.  Series,  No.  8)  gives  a  letter  from 
its  builder. 

I  came  to  Chicago  November  16,  1833.  Soon  after  I  arrived  I  commenced  cutting  the 
lumber  for  a  draw-bridge  on  land  adjoining  Michigan  avenue,  afterward  owned  by  Hiram  Pearson. 
In  March,  1834,  I  commenced  building  it,  and  I  think  it  was  completed  by  the  first  of  June.  The 


DEARBORN   STREET    BRIDGE. 


first  steamboat  that  passed  through  it  was  the  old  Michigan,  with  a  double  engine.  The  first 
freight  taken  down  the  lakes  was  in  1834,  being  a  lot  of  hides  from  cattle  that  had  been  slaughtered 
for  the  U.  S.  troops. 

On  the  bridge  question  there  was  a  merry  war  for  some  years,  two 
wars  it  maybe  said;  one  by  the  jealous  South-siders  who  wanted  to  keep 
all  the  trade  from  crossing  the  river ;  another  by  people  of  all  sides  who 
preferred  ferries.  The  "prairie  schooners,"  covered  wagons,  had  begun 
coming  in  great  numbers,  often  500  a  day,  bringing  grain  in  what  seemed 
then  large  quantities.  They  halted  on  the  military  reservation  over 
night  and  crossed  (if  they  could)  next  morning  to  the  grain  warehouses 
which  were  all  on  the  North  Side. 


120  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

In  1839  the  Council  ordered  the  removal  of  the  Dearborn  street 
bridge  of  1834,  and  so  afraid  were  its  enemies  that  the  Council  might 
change  its  mind  that  a  number  of  men  attacked  it  with  axes  before  the 
dawn  of  the  following  day  and  soon  chopped  it  to  pieces.  It  may  be 
asked  why  the  South-siders  did  not  provide  warehouses  of  their  own ; 
to  which  the  answer  doubtless  is  that  the  whole  south  bank  of  the  river 
was  a  miry  swamp  except  at  the  eastern  part,  and  that  was  held  for  the 
military  reservation.  The  bridge  article  in  the  Times  reads  as  follows  : 

The  North  Side  warehouses  were  in  sore  distress.     They  needed  a    connection  with   the  other 

two  towns.     The  council  was    equally  divided.     At  the   time  when    the    question  was  at  its  height, 

O  t        Messrs.  Newberry  and  Ogden    presented    to    the    Catholic    Ecclesiastical    authorities  the  two  blocks 

Bridge  built,   now  occupied  by  their  cathedral  [North  State  and  Superior  streets].      It  was  said  at  the  time  that  the 

present  was  to  influence  votes  on  the  bridge  question.      It  undoubtedly  was.     The  North  Side  won 

her  bridge.      Mayor  Raymond  cast    the  deciding  vote.     A  float-bridge  was  thereupon  built  at  Clark 

street,  and  the  North  Side  siege  was  raised.     That  was  the  end  of  the  bridge  question  of  1840.* 

Another  momentous  physical  event  of  those  days  was  the  opening 
of  the  way  from  river  to  lake  and  from  lake  to  river. 

It  has  been  already  said  that  natural  causes  combine  to  produce  a 
constant  current  of  sand  to  the  southward  along  our  shore,  f  This 
drifting  mass,  battling  with  the  outflow  of  every  river — even  every  little 
streamlet — on  this  side,  of  the  lake,  pushes  its  mouth  toward  the  south 
and  deposits  sand  outside  its  deflected  course.  Walk  along  the  shore 
where  one  will,  and  observe  any  rill  entering  the  lake  unguided;  he  will 
find  it  following  its  "line  of  least  resistance"  by  turning  to  the  right 
and  losing  itself  gradually  in  a  shallow  ooze. 

The  Chicago  river  was  an  example  in  large  of  these  phenomena 
in  little.  Its  general  eastern  course  met  a  broad,  strong  bank  of  sand 
just  after  passing  the  fort,  and  it  only  managed  to  accomplish  its  manifest 
destiny  down  at  about  Madison  and  Monroe  streets,  where,  over  a  long 
shallow,  it  mingled  its  stream  with  the  lake.  At  low  water,  one  could 
wade  from  the  sand  spit  to  the  mainland  near  Park  Row.  At  high 
water,  light  draught  barges  could  get  f>ver. 

Major  Lydecker  (Blanchard,  p.  540)  gives  the  general  facts  of  the 
change.  Congress,  in  1833,  voted  $25,000  for  improving  the  "harbor  at 
Chicago,  on  Lake  Michigan."  A  direct  cut  was  made  through  the  sand 
spit  from  the  bend  in  the  river  to  the  lake.  A  "revetment  "  (facing  or 
retaining  wall)  was  placed  on  the  north  side  of  the  cut,  and  from  the 

*  Ex-Gov.  Bross  says  :  "The  bridges  over  the  Chicago  river  in  1848  were  a  curiosity.  One  end  was  fixed  on  a 
pivot  in  the  wooden  abutment,  and  the  other  was  placed  upon  a  large  square  box  or  boat.  When  it  was  necessary  to 
open  the  bridge  for  the  passage  of  vessels,  a  chain,  fastened  on  or  near  the  shore  on  the  side  of  the  pier,  some  distance 
from  it,  was  wound  up  by  a  capstan  on  the  float  end  of  the  bridge,  thus  opening  it.  It  was  closed  in  the  same  manner  by  a 
chain  on  the  opposite  side  of  it.  Our  present  (1876)  excellent  pivot  bridges  were  introduced,  and  I  think  invented,  by 
City  Superintendent  Harper,  about  1850,  or  soon  afterward. 

t  Between  1870  and  1875  the  United  States  "River  and  Harbor"  appropriations  were  used  to  build  the  outer 
pier,  which  runs  parallel  with  Michigan  avenue  some  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so  out  in  the  lake;  and  in  1875-80  the  north  out- 
side pier  was  built  to  furnish  a  harber  of  refuge  in  northeasterly  gales.  The  total  expenditure  from  1833  to  iS8o  was 
$1,008,005,  representing  14.500  lineal  feet  of  piers  and  breakwaters— nearly  two  and  three-quarter  miles.  Almost  all  the 
work  has  been  done  under  the  direction  oi  Major  Lydecker,  Engineer,  V.  S.  A. 


ftt 


*       •      ^*- 


,7* 


VERY  HARD    WORK,  121 

outer  extremity  of  the  revetment  a  pier  was  built  out  into  the  lake 
about  1,000  feet,  the  beginning-  of  the  present  "North  Pier,"  which  has 
been  repeatedly  lengthened  since  that  time.  This  pier  at  once  began 
to  catch  and  hold  back  the  sand,  "which,  moving  south  along  the  lake 
shore  under  the  influence  of  the  littoral  current,  would  soon  have  closed 
the  outlet  and  left  matters  as  bad  as  before."  * 

While  the  north  pier  was  in  progress  the  cut  was  widened  to  200 
feet  and  revetted  on  the  South  Side.  At  about  the  same  time  the  old 
channel  leading  southward  was  closed  by  a  line  of  cribs  filled  with  stone 
and  sunk  across  its  course.  Judge  Caton  remembers  the  fact  that  as 
these  cribs  were  sunk,  the  current,  in  its  effort  to  follow  its  old  course, 
cut  the  sand  away  from  under  their  eastern  edges,  so  that  they  lay  in  a 
slanting  position;  and  to  this  day,  at  low  water,  one  may  see  the  old 
crib  timbers  sloping  downward  toward  the  deep  water,  along  the  face  of 
the  Goodrich  steamboat  dock  east  of  Rush  street  bridge. 

Man  having  shown  his  courage  and  strength,  nature  gracefully 
yielded  the  point,  ceased  her  resistance  and  even  lent  him  her  help  to 
satisfy  his  fruitful  desire.  A  great  freshet  in  the  spring  of  1834  effectu- 
ally established  the  new  channel,  and  on  July  12,  1834,  the  schooner 
Illinois  was  pulled  over  the  bar  and  sailed  up  the  river  amid  the  accla- 
mations of  the  citizens.  The  builder  of  Dearborn  street  draw-bridge 
says:  "The  first  steamboat  that  passed  through  it  was  the  old  Michigan, 
with  a  double  engine."  No  doubt  that  the  schooner  with  all  her  spars, 
together  with  the  steamboat  with  her  double  engine,  could  have  been 
snugly  stowed  away  out  of  sight  in  the  hold  of  one  of  our  modern  2,500 
ton  propellers,  endowed  with  a  carrying  capacity  of  100,000  bushels  of 
grain ;  but  we  must  creep  before  we  walk. 

So,  we  were  coming  along.  The  streets — so-called — were  a  sea  of 
mud  when  it  rained  and  a  storm  of  dust  when  the  dry  southwest  wind 
raged.  The  most  approved  vehicle  for  society  ladies  was  a  stout  ox 
cart  with  hay  in  the  bottom.  The  cart  could  back  up  to  the  door  of 
the  fair  passenger  to  allow  her  to  mount,  plod  through  the  mire  to  the 
house  of  feasting  and  back  up  to  its  door  to  discharge  its  pleasure-seek- 
ing load.  Many  a  dame  now  among  us  remembers  those  expeditions 
and  is  quite  ready  to  admit  that  there  was  as  much  pleasure  in  them  as 
in  the  more  elegant  style  of  modern  merrymaking — certainly,  for  those 
who  were  then  young  and  now  are  young  no  longer. 

Lake  schooners  in  the  river ;  prairie  schooners  in  the  roads,  mud  in 
the  streets,  music  in  the  parlors  and  hope  in  the  hearts  —  Chicago  is 
fairly  going  ahead  at  last. 

*  The  prevailing-southwest  wind,  blowing  the  waves  obliquely  toward  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  causes  a 
northward  current  on  that  side,  while  the  equilibrium  is  restored  by  a  back-flow  along  the  west  shore,  where  the  pro- 
tection of  the  land  measurably  lessens  the  effect  of  the  wind  upon  the  water. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


Schools  and 
Teachers. 


FIRST    BAPTIST   CHURCH. 


THE    KEEL    LAID. 

5  URN  ING  now  once  more  from 
the  physical  to  the  moral  aspect 
of  the  awakening  community,  we 
come  to  the  beginning  of  its  peda- 
gogic life.  Stephen  Forbes,  in 
June,  1830,  was  employed  by  J.  B. 
Beaubien,  Lieutenant  Hunter,  and 
others,  to  teach  the  children  then 
living  in  and  around  the  fort.  He 
lived  and  kept  school  in  a  large, 
low,  five-room  structure  built  of 
logs  squared  on  two  sides.  It 
a,  stood  near  the  river  outlet  (Madi- 
son street),  was  known  as  the 
Dean  House,  and  belonged  to 
J.  B.  Beaubien.  Mr.  Forbes  taught 
the  boys  in  one  room,  Mrs.  Forbes 
scholars  num- 


the    girls    in    another.     The 
bered   about    twenty-five ;  two  the  children 
of  a  soldier  in  the  fort,  the  rest  mainly  French 
and  half-breed  Indians. 

This  is  usually  called  the  beginning  of 
school  teaching  in  Chicago,  because  schools 
were    continuously    maintained    thereafter. 
There  had  been  before  sporadic  and  occa- 
sional efforts  in  the  line.      In  the  winter  of 
1810-11,  Robert  A.  Forsyth,  aged  thirteen, 
essayed  to  open  to  John  H.   Kinzie,  aged 
eleven,  the  gateway  of  all  human 
knowledge,  using  as  a  key  a  spell- 
ing   book    which    by   chance   had 
arrived  at  the  little  frontier  post.* 

In    1816,  William   L.    Cox,  a  discharged   soldier,  taught  John   H. 

•Mrs.  Kinzie  (Fergus'  Scries  No.  10)  says  that  her  husband  "loved  to  describe  his  delight  when,  upon  one 
occasion,  among  the  stores  brought  by  the  annual  schooner,  a  spelling  book  was  drawn  forth  and  presented  to  him.  His 
cousin,  Robert  Forsyth,  at  that  time  a  member  of  his  father's  family,  undertook  to  teach  him  to  read,  and  .  .  .  the 
exercises  gave  to  the  pupil  a  pleasant  association  with  the  fragrance  of  green  tea,  which  always  kept  that  spelling  boo 
fresh  in  his  mind." 

123 


THE  KEEL  LAID. 


123 


Kinzie,  R.  A.  Kinzie  and  their  sisters,  Ellen  and  Maria,  and  three  or 
four  children  from  the  fort,  in  a  small  log  building  behind  the  Kinzie 

house,  at  about  the  present  crossing  of  Pine  and 
Michigan  streets.  Again,  in  1820,  a  small  school 
is  said  to  have  been  kept  by  a  sergeant,  within 
the  fort.  Very  touching  seem  these  little  strug- 
gles toward  knowledge.  They  suggest  the  eager 
leaning  of  a  sun-loving  plant,  in  a  dark  room, 
toward  any  ray  of  light  that  peers  through  even 
a  crevice  looking  to  the  free  sky. 

John  Watkins,  writing  to  the  Old  Settlers' 
reception  in  1879,  says: 


I  asrived  in  Chicago  in  May,  1832.  .  .  I  commenced 
teaching  in  the  fall,  after  the  Black  Hawk  War,  1832.  My  first 
school-house  was  situated  on  the  North  Side,  about  half-way 
between  the  lake  and  the  forks  of  the  river.  The  building 
belonged  to  Colonel  Richard  J.  Hamilton,  was  erected  as  a 

horse-stable  and  had  been  used  as  such.     It  was  twelve  feet  square.     My  benches  and  desks  were 

made  of  old  store-boxes.    The  school  was  started  by  private  subscription.    Thirty  scholars  were  sub- 

scribed for.     But  many  subscribed  who  had  no  children.     So  it  was  a  sort  of  free  school,  there  not 

being  thirty  children  in  town.     During  my  first  quarter  I   had  but  twelve  scholars,  and  only  four  of 

them  were  white.     The  others  were  quarter,  half  and 

three  quarters  Indian.   .     .      .In  the  winter  of  1832-3, 

Billy  Caldwell,  a  half-breed  chief  of  the  Pottawatomie 

Indians,  better  known  as  the  Sauganash,  offered  to  pay 

the  tuition  and  provide   books    for  all   Indian  children 

who  would  attend  school  if  they  would  dress  like  the 

Americans,  and  he  would  also  pay  for  their  clothes. 

But  not  a  single  one  would  accept  the  proposition  con- 

ditioned on  the  change  of  apparel. 

I   will  now  give  you  the  names  of  some  of  my 

scholars:  Thomas,  William  and  GeorgeOwen;  Richard 

Hamilton;  Alexander,  Philip  and  Henry  Beaubien,  and 

Isaac  N.  Harmon.     (Wells'  sketch.) 


In  the  autumn  of  1833,  Miss  Eliza 
Chappel    (afterward     Mrs.     Jeremiah 
Porter,  of  Green  Bay)  opened  an  infant 
school  of  about  twenty  children,  in  a  log 
house  on  South  Water  street,  a  short 
distance   west    of   the    fort    enclosure. 
Some    of    the   garrison    children 
attended.     In  the  latter  part  of  the 
same  year,  Mr.  Granville  Temple  '  / 

Sproat  came  from  Boston  and  opened  an  English  and  classical  school 
for  boys  at  the  corner  of  South  Water  and  Franklin  streets,  in  which, 
the  spring  of  1834,  Miss  Sarah  L.  Warren  (afterward  Mrs.  A.  E.  Car- 
penter, of  Warrenville,  Wis.)  was  engaged  as  assistant. 

In    1834  an  appropriation  was  made  to  Miss  Chappel   from    the 


134 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Protestant 
Churches. 


Town  School  Fund  (proceeds  of  lots)  and  the  school  taught  by  her  at 
that  time,  in  the  First  Presbyterian  church  (west  side  of  Clark  street, 
between  Lake  and  Randolph  streets'*  was  properly  the  first  public 
school  of  Chicago.  (Wells.)* 

A  bit  of  "  local  color"  appears  in  the  following  extract  from  a  letter 
written  in  1858  by  Mrs.  W'arren-Carpenter. 

My  salary  was  $300  a  year,  and  I  think  the  gentleman  teacher's.  $600.  ...  I  boarded  at 
Elder  Freeman's.  His  house  must  have  been  some  four  or  five  blocks  southeast  of  the  meeting- 
house, with  scarce  a  house  between.  ...  I  used  to  go  across  without  regard  to  streets.  It 
was  not  uncommon  in  going  to  and  from  school  to  see  prairie  wolves,  and  we  could  hear  them 
howl  any  time  in  the  day.  We  were  also  frequently  annoyed  by  Indians,  but  the  greatest  difficulty 
was  mud.  No  person  now  can  have  a  just  idea  of  what  Chicago  mud  used  to  be;  rubbers  were  of 
no  account.  I  got  me  a  pair  of  gent's  brogans  and  fastened  them  tight  about  the  ankle,  but  would 

go  over  them  in  mud  and  water,  and  was  obliged  to 
get  a  pair  of  men's  boots  made. 

So  the  home-faring  young  school 
mistress,  only  fifty-seven  years  ago, 
walked  at  will,  picking  her  steps 
through  the  mud,  scaring  the  wolves 
and  being  scared  by  the  Indians,  over 
ground  now  covered  by  the  huge  Ash- 
land block,  the  Fullerton  block,  the 
Portland  block,  McVicker's  theater, 
the  Palmer  House  and  the  Pullman 
building,  or  other  equally  ponderous 
and  important  edifices.  The  many, 
many  prints  of  those  "gents'  brogans," 
estimated  as  real  estate,  are  worth  per- 
haps scores  of  dollars  apiece. 

Education,  public  and  private, 
being  thus  fairly  under  way,  need 
e  followed  no  further  at  this  point. 
The  school  leads  up  naturally  to  the  Church  ;  and  it  chances  to  join 
on,  in  the  case  of  Chicago,  with  peculiar  fitness;  for  Minister  Jeremiah 
Porter,  already  named  as  having  married  Schoolmistress  Eliza  Chappel, 
was  almost,  if  not  quite,  the  first  Protestant  clergyman  regularly  carry- 
ing on  public  worship  here.  He  came  here  with  the  troops  from  Fort 
Brady,  in  1833,  and  on  Sunday,  May  igth,  of  that  year,  having  had  the 
garrison  carpenter-shop  cleared,  cleaned  and  furnished  with  seats,  Mr. 
Porter  preacher  his  first  sermon,  taking  as  his  text  John  xv,  8.  The 
good  man  happily  kept  a  journal  from  which  much  interesting  informa- 

*  Miss  Chappel  became  Mrs.  Porter  in  1834.  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Hurlbut,  dated  Fort  Sill,  Indian  Territory,  in 
1873,  Mr.  Porter  says  of  her:  "  She  began  to  teach  in  her  native  town  of  Geneseo,  N.  Y.,  more  than  fifty  years  ago,  and 
now,  after  being  the  mother  of  nine  children,  and  laboring  in  the  hospitals  of  our  country  for  four  years  [probably  war 
times]  and  then  carrying  on  the  Rio  Grande  Female  Seminary  for  three  years,  she  is  now,  at  this  very  hour,  teaching  at 
this  post,  from  love  of  teaching  and  doing  good."  There  ought  to  be  some  good  men  and  women  in  Chicago,  seeing  that 
the  virgin  soil  was  tilted  by  such  gardeners  ! 


THE  KEEL   LAID. 


'25 


PECK  S   STORE. 


tion  can  be  had.  Among  the  early  entries  is  this  :  "The  first  dreadful 
spectacle  that  met  my  eyes  [on  his  first  Sunday]  was  a  group  of  Indians 
sitting  on  the  ground  before  a  miserable  French  dram-house  playing 
cards,  and  as  many  trifling  white  men  standing  around  to  witness  the 
game."  (This  seems  to  point  toward  our  friend,  Mark  Beaubien, 
whose  "  Sauganash"  was  directly  in  Mr.  Porter's  road  to  and  from  the 
West  Side.) 

Mr.  Porter's  sleeping-room  (which 
was  also  his  study )  was  over  the  store 
of  P.  F.  W.  Peck,  built  in  1831  on  South 
Water  street,  corner  of  LaSalle.  This 
little  building  stood  for  many  years.  Mr. 
Hurlbut  gives  a  picture  of  it  (from  a 
photograph  by  Hesler  in  1855),  which  is 
here  reproduced.  It  is  the  small  wooden 
building  on  the  right,  showing  two  win- 
dows, one  above  the  other.  The  lot  is 
that  now  occupied  by  the  store  of  Crerar, 
Adams  &  Co.  The  upper  room  is  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  early  records  as  the 
place  for  holding  meetings  of  various  kinds.  Among  other  good  uses, 
it  was  the  occasional  meeting-place  of  the  first  Sunday-school,  organ- 
ized August  19,  1832,  by  Luther  Childs,  Mrs.  Seth  Johnson,  the  Misses 
Noble  and  Philo  Carpenter.  The  Sunday-school  library  had  about 
twenty  small  volumes,  and  this  was  fully  one  apiece  for  all  the  scholars 
and  teachers.  John  S.  Wright  (ar.  1832)  was  librarian  and  used  to 
carry  the  library  to  and  from  the  school  tied  up  in  his  handkerchief. 

P.  F.  W.  Peck's  name  heads  the  roll  of  the  first  Chicago  fire  com- 
pany, which  was  organized  on  September  19,  1835,  a  year  after  the  first 
serious  fire  is  recorded.  This  disaster  was  the  burning  of  three  build- 
ings at  the  corner  of  Lake  and  LaSalle  streets.  The  harrowing  tale 
("Democrat,"  October  12,  1834)  says  that  the  total  loss  was  $1,200. 
"There  was  in  the  house  $220  in  money;  $125,  being  in  Jackson 
money,  was  found  in  the  ruins;  the  remainder,  the  rag  currency,  was 
destroyed."  This  throws  a  curious  bit  of  "side  light"  on  the  currency 
troubles  of  those  days,  and  shows  that  the  Jacksonian  "  Democrat" 
was,  as  in  duty  bound,  a  "  hard-money  "  organ. 

The  Illinois  Methodist  Conference  in  1831  sent  the  Rev.  Jesse 
Walker  to  take  charge  of  "The  Chicago  Mission/'  accompanied  by 
Rev.  Stephen  R.  Beggs.  They  traveled  on  horseback  (like  so  many 
devoted  clergymen  of  their  devoted,  zealous  and  mighty  organization) 
and  arrived  early  in  June  from  Plainfield,  forty  miles  away,  preaching 


126 


THE   STORY    OF   CHICAGO. 


'  TEMPLE       BUILDING. 


their    first  sermons  June   151)1  and    i6th.     "  Father  Walker "    was  not 

permanently  settled  in  Chicago  until  1832,  and  held  his  first  quarterly 

meeting  in  the  fall  of  1833,*  in  a 
building  long  known  as  "  Father 
Walker's  log  cabin."  It  stood  on 
the  West  Side,  near  the  junction 
of  the  north  and  south  branches. 
"  It  served  as  parsonage,  kitchen 
and  church."  The  First  Presby- 
terian Church  held  its  meetings  in 
this  primitive  temple  for  some 
time,  because  some  of  the  church 
people  objected  to  going  to  the 
fort  to  worship. 

The  first  Baptists  known  to  be 
in  Chicago  were  Mrs.  Heald,  wife 

of  the  unfortunate  commander  of  the  fort  at  the  time  of  the  massacre 

of  1812  ;    and  the  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy,  before  mentioned  as  the  faithful 

missionary  to  the  Indians,  and  advocate  of  temperance.      His  journal 

reports  that  he  attended  the  Indian 

payment  made   here  in   1825,  and 

adds:  "On  the  Qth of  October,  1825, 

I  preached  in  English,  which,  as  I 

am  informed,  was  the  first  sermon 

ever    delivered    at    or    near  that 

place."     The  First  Baptist  Church 

was  organized  October  igth,  1833, 

by  the    Rev.  Allen    B.    Freeman. 

The  Society  started  with  nineteen 

members   only,  but   they  seem  to 

have  been  zealous  and  liberal  souls, 

for  they  at  once  proceeded  to  build 

a  church.      It  was  a  plain,  wooden 

two-story  house,  near  the  corner  of 

Franklin  and  South  Water  streets.  FIRST  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

Its  tipper  story  was  used  as  a  school,  the  lower  for  meetings.     It  was 

called  "Temple  Building,  "and  was  used  by  Methodists,  Presbyterians 

and  Baptists  in  common  until  the  others  could  provide  places  of  their 

own.   It  took  its  name  from  the  excellent  Dr.  J.  T.  Temple,  who  built  it 

and  allowed  the  infant  churches  to  use  it,  paying  such  rent  as  they 

could  afford.     The  Rev.  Jesse  Walker's  log  house  on    the  West  Side 

was  the  only  place  of  worship  earlier  than  this. 

*  This  would  seem  to  give  a  slight  priority  to  the  Methodists  ;    though  their  organization  up  to  the  fall  of   1833 
was,  perhaps,  strictly  speaking,  a  mission  rather  than  an  independent,  self-supporting  church  society. 


THE  KEEL   LAID. 


727 


The  year  1833  was  also  the  initial  year  for  Catholicism  in  Chicago — 
or,  rather,  for  a  new  connection  with  the  Holy  See,  for  the  faith  itself  was 
professed  here  150  vears  previously,  when  Father  Marquette  offered  it 
to  the  unresponsive  savages.  In  1833  St.  Mary's  Catholic  Society  was 
organized  by  Father  St.  Cyr,  a  French  priest,  sent  from  the  diocese  of 
St.  Louis.  The  petition  which  led  to  this  mission  was  written  in 
French  and  was  signed  by  T.  J.  V.  Owen  (nine  in  family),  J.  Bt.  Beau- 
bien  (fourteen),  Joseph  Lafram- 
boise  (seven),  Jean  Pothier  (five), 
Alexander  Robinson  (eight)  and 
other  familiar  names.  The  first 
church  building  was  put  up  on  a 
"  Canal-land"  lot  (near  the  south- 
west corner  of  Lake  and  State 
streets);  and  the  Catholic  Indian 
women  cleaned  and  made  ready 
the  building  for  its  first  mass,  and 
Catholic  Indians  joined  in  the 
service.  A  tower,  open  to  the  air, 
was  built  later,  from  which  a  bell, 
about  the  size  of  an  engine  bell, 
called  the  faithful  to  prayer,  the 
earliest  "  church-going  bell  "  which 
made  itself  heard  in  Chicago. 
Later,  the  church  bought  the  lot 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  Wabash 
avenue  and  Madison  street,  and  to 
this  day  the  massive  warehouse 
on  that  lot  is  called  "  St.  Mary's 
Block."  (We  have  already  seen 
how  the  block  —  Superior  and  North  State  streets — devoted  to  the 
Cathedral,  "Church  of  the  Holy  Name"-  -  came  to  be  given  by  Mr. 
Ogden  and  Mr.  Newberry.) 

The  first  Episcopal  service  held  in  Chicago  was  in  October,  1834, 
when  the  Rev.  Palmer  Dyer  preached,  by  invitation,  in  the  Presbyterian 
church,  to  St.  James  Episcopal  Society,  which  was  organized  at  or 
about  the  same  time.  The  next  service  was  held  in  the  Baptist  church, 
October  igth,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hallam,  who  was  the  first  pastor  of  the 
Society.  After  this,  services  were  held  in  a  building  provided  by  John 
H.  Kinzie,  which  stood  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Kinzie  and  State 
streets,  and  was  later  known  as  Tippecanoe  Hall.  In  1836  Mr.  Kinzie 
gave  the  church  two  lots  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Kinzie  and  Cass 


. 


128 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


[.Jan 
Chu 


mes 
rch. 


streets,  whereon  a  pretty  wooden  church,  in 
1837.  It  is  a  relief  to  the  dullness 
of  history  to  record  that  Dr.  Egan 
(the  wit  of  the  town  for  many 
years),  in  answering  Mrs.  J.  H. 
Kinzie's  natural  question,  "  How 
do  you  like  our  church?"  said: 
"  Very  much,  indeed  ;  but  won't  the 
people  think  it  is  a  little  vain  in 
John  to  put  his  initials  so  conspicu- 
ously over  the  pulpit?"  He  pre- 
tended to  misread  the  "  I.  H.  S." 
as  "  I.  H.  K. ;"  and  what  sharpened 
the  point  of  the  joke  was  that  St. 
James  was  sometimes  called  "the 
Kinzie  Church." 

But  St.  James'  people  could 
afford  to  be  laughed  at,  for  the 
edifice  cost,  complete  and  furnished, 
$15,500,  and,  with  a  parsonage 
costing  $4,000,  was  all  paid  for  before  a  year  passed. 


jothic  style,  was  built  in 


REV.    ISAAC   W.    HALLA.M. 


With  1830  a  third  great  n- 
lightening  force  began  its  COL  se 
in  Chicago — the  mail  service.  ."  rr. 
Wentworth  says  (Fergus'  H»st. 
Series  No.  7)  that  in  that  year 
Elijah  Wentworth,  Jr.,  carried  the 
mail  between  Chicago  and  Niles, 
Michigan,  once  a  month,  the  post- 
master being  Jonathan  N.  Bailey, 
and  the  location  of  the  office  the 
old  Kinzie  mansion  on  the  North 
Side.  His  daughter  married  John 
S.  C.  Hogan  (ar.  1832),  who  in  his 
turn  became  postmaster,  the  office 
:  being  then  in  the  log  cabin  (north- 
east corner  of  Lake  and  South 
Water  streets),  built  by  him  for  the 
fur-trading  business  of  Brewster, 
Hogan  &  Co.  Mr.  Hogan,  besides 
being  postmaster,  fur  trader,  justice 
of  the  peace,  alderman,  lieutenant  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  possibly 


ELIJAH    WENTWORTH. 


THE  KEEL   LAID. 


129 


deputy  sutler  in  the  fort,  was  a  land  agent  and — a  poet !     Mr.  Hurlbut 
quotes  the  following  effort  in  the  line  of  the  two  latter  vocations : 

THE  EARTH   FOR    SALE. 

There  is  not  in  the  wide  world  a  valley  so  sweet 
As  that  neat  little  vale  on  the  banks  of  Salt  Creek. 

A  pre-emption  right,  for  sale  by  the  subscriber  very  cheap, — it  is  only  thirteen  miles  from  Chicago. 
March  24th,  1834. 

Mr.  Hurlbut  adds  that  Mr.  Hogan  was  one  of  the  many  who,  over- 
loaded with  mortgaged  realty,  went  down  in  the  crash  of  1837.  Mr. 
John  Bates,  Jr.-  (ar.  1832),  who 
took  charge  of  the  postoffice  for 
Mr.  Hogan  in  1833,  called  Mr. 
Hogan  "the  best  educated  man  in 
Chicago."  Mr.  Hurlbut  further 
says  that  he  was  indulgent  with  his 
customers,  and  that  he  (Hurlbut) 
lias  in  his  possession  various  notes 
of  hand,  given  for  goods,  by  Indians 
and  half-breeds.  "If  any  auto- 
graph-hunter of  the  present  era 
wishes  to  invest  in  any  such  sort  of 
stock,  applications  will  be  in  order 
to  purchase  at  a  discount  some  of 
the  veritable  and  rare  signatures 
and  obligations  of  a  departed  race." 

Dr.  J.  Nevins  Hyde,  in  his 
interesting  brochure,  "  Early  Med- 
ical Chicago,"  gives  the  following  item  of  mail  news : 

Dr.  Temple(i833)  secured  a  contract  for  carrying  the  mail  between  Chicago  and  Ottawa.     He 
obtained  an  elegant  thorough-brace  post-carriage  from    Detroit,  which  was  shipped  to  this  port  via 
the  lakes,  and  on  the  first  of  January,  1834,  drove  the  first  mail  coach  with  his  own  hand   from  this 
city  to  the  end  of  the  route.     On   this  trip  he  was  accompanied  by  the  Hon.  John  Dean  Caton. 
There  was  no  mail  matter  for  transportation  in  the  bag  on  this  first  trip. 

Judge  Caton  says  he  piloted  the  company  which  first  went  through 
and  established  the  station,  and  that  the  party  suffered  greatly  from  cold. 
John  Wentworth  (ar.  1836)  says  : 

One  of  our  most  reliable  places  of  entertainment  was  the  postoffice  while  the  mail  was  being 
opened.  The  mail-coach  was  irregular  in  the  time  of  its  arrival,  but  the  horn  of  the  driver  announced 
its  approach.  Then  the  people  would  largely  assemble  at  the  postoffice.  .  .  .  The  postmaster  would 
throw  out  a  New  York  paper  and  some  gentleman  with  a  good  pair  of  lungs  and  a  jocose  temperament 
would  mount  a  dry  goods  box  and  commence  reading.  Occasionally  I  occupied  that  place  myself. 

Mr.  Bates  followed  the  practice  of  firing  a  gun  just  outside  the 
north  door  of  the  postoffice  building  at  nine  o'clock  every  evening,  to 
inform  Chicago  that  bedtime  had  arrived.  (The  custom  has,  un- 
fortunately, been  abandoned.)  In  1833  Mr.  Bates  was  married  by 
R.  J.  Hamilton,  Esq.,  to  Miss  Harriet  E.  Brown,  of  Springfield,  Mass. 


JOHN    BATES,    JR. 


130 


THE   STORY    OF  CHICAGO. 


Again  we  come  across  a  link  binding  one  part  of  the  chain  of 
progress  with  another.  Mr.  Bates'  marriage  was  announced  in  the 
first  number  of  the  first  Chicago  newspaper. 

In  old  Rome,  the  time  of  the  happening  of  great  events  was  fixed 
by  identifying  them  with  rulers'  names  :  "Dum  Flaminius  Consul 
erat,"  etc.  So  does  Mr.  Hurlbut  introduce  the  Press  to  Chicago.  "  It 
was  while  Andrew  Jackson  was  Chief  Executive,  John  Reynolds  was 
Governor  of  Illinois,  and  Thomas  J.  V.  Owens  was  President  of  the 
newly  incorporated  town  of  Chicago,  that  the  first  printing  press  was 
set  at  work  here,  and  the  first  Chicago  newspaper  made  its  appear- 
ance." 

In  simpler  phrase,  John  Calhoun,  in 
September,  1833,  shipped  from  Sackett's 
Harbor,  New  York,  for  Chicago,  his  print- 
ing press,  type  and  other  material,  and  a 
small  lot  of  paper,  in  charge  of  two  appren-* 
tices.  With  his  own  hands  he  made  ready 
his  printing  office  ;  and,  his  money  being 
quite  exhausted  by  freight  charges  and 
other  outlays,  he  borrowed  from  Col. 
Thomas  J.  V.  Owen  enough  to  relieve 
him  of  his  difficulties.  (He  afterward  ex- 
pressed deep  gratitude  to  Col.  Owen  for 
many  acts  of  kindness.)  His  "Chicago 
Democrat"  appeared  Nov.  26,  1833  ;  a  six- 
column,  four-page  sheet,  the  printed 
matter  eighteen  and  a  half  by  four- 
teen inches.  The  paper  was  demo- 

cratic, but  its  editor  disclaimed  selfishness  which  might  exclude  "such 
articles  as  may  be  temperately  written  on  any  subject  that  the  editor 
may  deem  suitable  for  newspaper  discussion."  It  proudly  stated  the 
population  of  Chicago  at  over  800,  and  said  that  goods  had  been  trans- 
ported from  New  York  in  twenty-three  days,  at  a  cost  of  $1.63  per  100 
—  $33  a  ton!  It  favored  the  early  commencement  of  the  canal.  A 


First 


bound  volume  of  the  "  Democrat  "  is  preserved  in  the  Chicago   His- 
torical Society's  collection. 

The    nearest  points   where   newspapers   were  then   published  were 
Galena,  Springfield  and  Detroit,  and  on  one  occasion  the  "  Democrat" 


THE  KEEL   LAID. 


was  suspended  for  two  weeks,  until  paper  could  be  brought  hither  by 
stage  from  St.  Louis.  The  river  was  still  closed  from  the  lake  and 
vessels  lay  in  the  offing,  discharging  their  cargoes  by  small  boats. 

In  1836,  J.  D.  Caton,  Ebenezer  Peck,  Hiram  Hugunin  and  others 
(leading  democrats)  furnished  money  to  buy  a  new  outfit   and   enlarge 
the  paper.     In  the  fall,  Dr.  Daniel 
Brainard    became    its    editor,    and 
later,  in  the  same  year,  John  Went- 
worth  took   charge  as  editor   and 
proprietor. 

The  first  of  Chicago  medical 
practitioners  were  necessarily  those 
connected  with  the  army.  We  find 
in  the  roster  of  Captain  Heald's 
company  of  the  First  Infantry, 
i  S 10,  John  Cooper,  surgeon's  mate. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Isaac 
Van  Voorhis,  killed  in  the  mas- 
sacre. The  latter  was  a  young 
man  of  great  merit  and  promise.* 
The  next  physician  of  whom  we 
have  any  account  was  Dr.  Alex- 
ander Wolcott,  also  of  the  army, 
who  married  (July  23,  1823)  the 

elder  daughter  (Ellen  Marion)  of  John  Kinzie,  who  was  born  in  , 

the  first  white  child  in  Chicago.     Dr.  Wolcott  died  in  the  fort  in  1830.    titioners. 
He  was  a  man  much  respected  and  long  lamented.     "  Wolcott  Street" 
(now  unfortunately  named  "  North  State")  was  called  after  him. 

In  May,  1830,  arrived  in  Chicago  Elijah  Dewey  Harmon,  who  had 
been  volunteer  surgeon  on  board  the  "Saratoga"  at  the  Battle  of  Platts- 
burgh  in  1814.  He  was  installed  at  the  fort  as  post  surgeon,  to  which 
duty  he  added  such  private  practice  as  came  to  him. 

On  the  night  of  July  10,  1832,  arrived,  by  the  steamer  "Sheldon 
Thompson,"  General  Scott  with  his  command  and — the  cholera.  In 
a  letter  written  in  1860  by  the  captain  (A.  Walker)  of  the  Sheldon 
Thompson,  the  facts  are  given  which  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

The    first  death    occurred  about   4    i>.  M.  of  the    gth,    and    twelve 
others  between  that   time  and  the  steamer's  arrival  at  the  close  of  the, 
loth.   The  yawl  boat  took  General  Scott  and  some  other  officers  ashore  ; 
after  which  three  more  dead   were  committed  to  the  deep,  where  their 
bodies  (weighted  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake)  were  visible  from  the  deck 

*  Small  attention  should  bejjiven  to  the  fanciful  (hysterical  ?)  account  of  Mrs.  Helm,  given  a  quarter  of  a  century 
after  the  occurrence,  wherein  she  attributed  unmanly  words  to  the  poor  martyr,  bleeding  to  death  in  a  hopeless  struggle 
with  a  cruel  foe.  The  narrative  contains  elements  for  its  own  discrediting. 


EBENEZER    I'ECK. 


•  Cholera  of  1833. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Refuges  from 
the  Fort. 


next  morning.  The  fort  was  full  of  refugees  driven  in  by  the  Black 
Hawk  scare,  who  were  all  now  driven  out  to  make  room  for  the  soldiers 
with  their  more  deadly  enemy.  In  the  next  eighteen  hours,  eighteen 
more  victims  died;  which  were  buried  in  their  blankets  in  pits  dug  near 
the  southwest  corner  of  Wabash  avenue  and  South  Water  street,  side 
by  side,  the  earth  from  one  grave  serving  to  fill  up  its  neighbor.  In 
four  days  fifty-four  more  died  ;  making  in  all  eighty-eight  out  of  that 
one  boat-load  of  troops.* 

The  number  of  buildings  outside  the  fort  was  five,  of  which 
three  were  log  tenements.  Major  Whistler,  Captain  Johnson  and 
others,  with  their  families,  found  refuge  where  they  could  ;  some  in 
tents,  some  under  boards  placed  across  the  fence,  etc.  The  view  from 
the  steamer's  deck  Was  chiefly  a  beautiful  prairie,  spangled  with  flowers 
and  studded  with  trees.  To  get  fuel  with  which  to  sail  back  to  Buffalo 
they  pulled  down  one  of  the  log  houses. 

The  two  companies  already  in  the  fort  were  separated  from  the 
newcomers  and  put  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Harmon,  who  attributed  his 
success  in  treating  them  to  abstinence  from  the  use  of  calomel.  Dr. 
H.  had  a  disagreement  with  General  Scott,  who  "required"  him  to 
devote  his  attention  exclusively  to  the  troops ;  a  requisition  which  the 

sturdy  doctor  declined  to  comply 
with.  He  served  all  alike  and  well, 
and  his  descendants  are  among 
Chicago's  best  citizens  at  this  day, 
1891.  Harmon  Court  was  named 
in  his  honor. 

A  most  distinguished  doctor, 
a  typical  man,  identified  with  Chi- 
cago from  his  arrival  in  1833  to 
his  death  in  1860,  was  William 
Bradshaw  Egan.  He  was  an  Irish- 
man, and  one  of  the  brightest  of 

D 

that  bright  race.  He  was  a  clas- 
sical scholar,  a  worshiper  of  poetry, 
especially  that  of  Shakespeare ;  a 
wit,  a  humorist,  a  favorite  public 
speaker,  a  member  of  the  State 
legislature ;  and,  above  all,  a  lover 
of  and  believer  in  Chicago  through 

•Judge  Henry  W.  modgeu  remembers  these  occurrences,  ar.d  adds  that  though  his  father's  family  (then  living 

u  Page),  flying  from  the  Indians,  had  taken  refuge  in  the  fort  with  the  rest,  yet  on  that  memorable  day  they 

.d  would  have  got  out  even  if  there  had  been  a  solid  army  of  Indians  encompassing  the  place  on  every 


DR.    DANIEL   BRAINARD. 


THE  KEEL   LAID.  jjj 

cloud  and  sunshine,  through  good  report  and  evil  report.     Egan  avenue 
and  Egandale  bear  his  name  and  mark  some  of  his  shrewd  investments. 

The  rapidly  increasing  list  of  physicians — men  able,  educated, 
brave,  devoted,  untiring,  belonging  to  a  profession  which  renders  to  the 
poor  more  unpaid  service  and  help  than  does  all  the  non-professional 
world  put  together — makes  it  impossible  to  give  more  than  a  passing 
look  at  this  branch  of  the  story  of  Chicago.  The  surgeon  of  most 
world-wide  distinction  among  us  was,  perhaps,  Daniel  Brainard,  who 
came  here  in  1835.  Justice  Caton  gives  some  characteristic  and  amusing 
anecdotes  of  Dr.  Brainard  in  Andreas,  vol.  i,  p.  461. 

The  first  lawyer  who  lived  in  the  place  now  called  Chicago  did  not 
come  there  as  a  lawyer.  It  was  Charles  Jouett,  of  Virginia,  who  was 
Indian  agent  in  1805,  and  again  in  1817.  Still  later  he  sat  on  the  bench 
in  Kentucky  and  Arkansas.  Primitive  law — or,  at  least,  a  kind  of 
justice  perhaps  more  righteous  than  law — was  administered  when  in 
1825  John  Kinzie  was  commissioned  to  the  old  constitutional  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace.  If  he  heard  causes,  or  even  kept  a  docket,  no 
record  or  memory  has  perpetuated  the  fact. 

Russell  E.  Heacock,  born  in  Connecticut  in  1781,  licensed  as  an 
attorney  in  Indiana  in  1808,  came  to  Fort  Dearborn  in  1827.  He  was 
commissioned  justice  *  of  the  peace  in  1833, 

and  was    in  Captain  ^^^^^^  Andreas' opinion,  the 
first    to    hear     trials  in    form.      Governor 

Bross,  however,  says  that  a  term  of  Circuit  Court  was  held  or  provided 
for  in  September,  1831,  "at  Fort  Dearborn,  in  the  brick  house,  and  in 
the  lower  room  of  the  said  house."  He  also  says  that  a  term  was  lawyer. 
ordered  in  1832  in  a  room  in  the  house  of  James  Kinzie,  "provided  it 
can  be  done  at  a  cost  of  not  more  than  ten  dollars."  It  was  Judge 
Young  who  came  (accompanied  from  Galena  by  lawyers  Mills  and 
Strode)  just  in  time  to  give  notice  of  the  disturbed  state  of  the  Indians 
which  led  to  the  Black  Hawk  War.  Heacock's  office  as  lawyer  and 
justice  of  the  peace  was  at  the  corner  of  Lake  and  Franklin  streets  in 

1835- 

On  the  organization  of  the  town  in  August,  1833,  John  Dean 
Caton  was  elected  Corporation  Attorney,  and  it  is  probable  that  he  was 
about  the  first  lawyer  to  make  his  living  by  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Chicago.*  Between  that  primitive  beginning  and  the  time  of 
his  becoming  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  the 

*  Chief  Justice  Caton  was  born  in  Orange  County,  M.  Y.,  March  19,  1812.  His  father  and  grandfather  were  of 
old  Maryland  and  Virginia  stock;  the  latter  (Robert  Caton)  an  Irishman  by  birth,  having  served  in  the  Royal  army,  but 
settled  on  a  Maryland  plantation  before  the  Revolution.  The  name  is  still  distinguished  in  Baltimore.  Judge  Caton 
relates  that  the  schooner  in  which  he  came  around  the  lakes  was  the  "  Queen  Charlotte,"  une  of  those  captured  by  Perry 
in  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie.  She  had  been  sunk  in  Put-In  Bay  for  twenty  years,  and  tiien  raised,  repaired  and  sailed 
again.  One  would  like  to  know  where  her  bones  were  finally  laid  ! 


'34 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


experiences  of  Mr.  Caton  would  make  an  interesting  volume,  and  it  is 
to  be  hoped  that  the  venerable  jurist  will  make  use  of  the  enforced  leisure 
of  his  later  days  to  compile  and  publish  such  a  volume.  His  literary 
power  and  experience,  as  well  as  his  vast  fund  of  reminiscence,  indicate 
this  as  a  duty  and  pleasure. 

Lawyers,  and  good  lawyers,  now  began  to  gather  here  in  numbers, 
and  from  that  day  to  this  the  supply  has  been  fully  equal  to  the 
demand.  A  bar  which  has  included  such  men  as  Lincoln,  Douglas, 
David  Davis,  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  Mark  Skinner,  Thomas  Drummond, 
Thomas  Hoyne,  Edwin  Larned,  Leonard  Swett,  Emory  Storrs,  and  all 
the  host  of  able  counselors  now  living,  is  worthy  of  the  confidence  which 
has  always  been  felt  by  Chicago  citizens  in  the  professional  guardians 
of  their  rights  and  liberties. 

"  Law,  Physic  and  Divinity,"  is  the  trio  designated  of  old  as  the 
learned  professions,  to  which  the  progressive  intelligence  of  the  world 
has.  added  that  of  Instruction.  The  first  practice  in  each  of  these  lines 
has  now  been  sketched  (reversing  the  order  of  precedence)  so  far  as  it 
seemed  to  belong  to  and  illustrate  the  emergence  of  Chicago  from 
darkness  to  light,  from  savagery  to  civilization.  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  each  branch  of  liberal  knowledge  has  been  treated  by  others  more 
fully  than  the  limits  of  this  mere  "story"  will  permit. 


LAKE  STREET  FIRE  OF  1835.     (p.  125.) 


CHAPTER    XV. 


NOT    ALL    HARD    WORK. 

may  now  hang  up  his  fiddle,  for 
the  first  piano  has  come  to  Chi- 
cago, brought,  it  is  said,  by  his 
brother,  Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien, 
in  1834.  John  Wentworth,  in 
his  address  to  the  Old  Settlers 
(Calumet  Club,  May  19,  iSSi), 
presented  the  old  fiddle  to  the 
Club,  with  a  loving  tribute  to  the. 
memory  of  its  owner.  He  said: 

"  Mark  Beaubien  died  at  the  residence 
of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  George  Mathews,  at 
Kankakee,  on  the  nth  of  April  of  this  year. 
Upon  his  death-bed  he  requested  that  his 
fiddle  be  given  to  me.  At  every  other  reunion 
of  Chicago's  Old  Settlers  Mark  Beaubien  has 

been  present,  and  played  upon  it.  The  fiddle  is  here  now;  but  the 
arm  that  wielded  the  bow  is  palsied  in  death.  .  .  .  And  now  I 
present  it  to  the  Calumet  Club,  for  he  was  ever  honored  here.  .  .  . 
As  he  has  passed  away,  I  take  pleasure  in  presenting  to  you  Frank 
Gordon  Beaubien,  his  oldest  son.  ...  He  was  born  in  Chicago, 
and  so  is  younger  than  the  fiddle,  which  his  father  brought  here  in 
1826.  How  long  he  had  it  before  he  came  here,  I  can  not  say. 
Three  generations  have  listened  to  its  music  here.  .  .  .  The  late 
Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien  was  a  little  higher  toned  than  Mark,  and 
brought  the  first  piano  to  Chicago.  Like  the  fiddle,  that  piano  has 
been  well  preserved;  and,  after  long  use  in  Chicago,  it  is  now  doing 
service  in  the  family  of  his  grand-daughter,  Mrs.  Sophia  (Beaubien)  Ogee,  at  Silver  Lake.  Kansas, 
daughter  of  the  late  Charles  Beaubien." 

Other  pianos,  owned  by  Mrs.  J.  B.  F.  Russell,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Kinzie, 
Samuel  Brooks,  Mrs.  Judge  Caton,  etc.,  followed  in  rapid  succession  ; 
and  now  (1891)  the  piano  business  of  Chicago  is  one  of  the  largest  in 
the  country.  The  sales  may  be  estimated  at  25,000  a  year,  and  one 
only  wonders  where  the  ceaseless  stream  can  find  place  and  players; 
for  a  piano  is  not  like  a  penny  whistle,  easy  to  buy  and  to  learn,  quickly 
used  up  and  joyfully  forgotten.  It  is  a  permanent  possession  to  some 
one  in  some  place,  one  may  almost  say  (barring  fire)  for  all  time.  (The 
Historical  Society  has  one  nearly  or  quite  a  hundred  years  old.) 

Music,  the  very  sign  and  badge  of  cultivation,  showed  great  vital- 
ity in  the  rising  city,  for  the  Harmonic  Society  (direct  ancestor  of  the 

135 


Pianos  arri  re. 


'36 


THE    STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


M  usic. 


Philharmonic  of  glorious  memories !)  gave  its  first  concert  on  Decem- 
ber iith,  1835,  at  the  Presbyterian  Church,  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
Lake  and  Clark  streets.* 

The  first  organ  was  bought  and  brought  out  by  St.  James  Church, 
and  an  amusing  account  is  given  in  the  "Chicago  Magazine"  of  August, 
1857,  of  the  difficulties  of  the  early  choir  ;  partly  to  get  those  to  sing 
who  could  sing,  and  partly  to  get  those  not  to  sing  who  could  not. 

As  in  all  American  communities,  the  Church  and  the  School  were 
the  main  agents  in  sociability,  as  well  as  in  piety,  morality  and  philan- 
thropy. Doubtless  there  was  promiscuous  merrymaking  here  in  "  the 
thirties,"  but  it  was  not,  like  the  Church  and  School  intercourse,  system- 
atic and  constant.  A  young  man  or  woman  was  "in  society"  if  he 

belonged  to  a  leading 
church  —  especially  St. 
James,  for  here,  as  in 
most  English-speaking 
countries,  the  Episcopal 
Church,  the  established 
Church  of  England,  the 
Church  upheld  by  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished aristocracy  in 
the  whole  world,  assumes 
(and  not  without  reason) 
the  lead  in  social  li(e.  To 
this  day,  there  is  not  so 
easyatfd  certain  an  "open 
sesame "  to  best  society 
in  every  young  American 
city  as  good  standing  in  a 
good  church  of  some  one  of  the  leading  denominations. 

Other  fellowship  there  was,  where  all  decent  folks  could  meet  on 
common  ground.  As  early  as  1831  a  debating  club  met  in  the  Fort. 
Charles  Cleaver,  who  arrived  from  London  in  1833,  tells  (Fergus1  Hist. 
Series,  No.  9)  of  society  meetings  held  at  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Clark  and  Lake  streets.  He  says  there  was  a  successful  fair  there,  and 
that  in  the  winterof  1834-5  a  piano,  which  had  been  brought  from  Lon- 

*The  church  was  built  here  ("a  lonely  spot,  almost  inaccessible  on  account  of  surrounding  sloughs  and  bogs  ")  in 
1833,  by  contributions  and  labors  of  its  founders.  Some  squared  the  logs,  some  turned  the  pillars  for  the  pulpit,  some 
worked  in  the  mortar-bed  ;  all  "  bore  a  hand.*'  A  curious  incident  connected  with  its  construction  was  this  :  After  the 
lot  was  selected,  but  before  it  was  built  upon,  some  squatter  or  squatters,  desiring  to  establish  a  pre-emption  claim  which 
would  have  to  be  bought  off,  started  work  one  nii$ht  and  before  morning  had  a  small  frame  set  up  on  the  Lake  Street 
front.  But  the  church  was  a  "church  militant"  and  also  a  "church  triumphant,"  for  during  the  following  night 
several  yokes  of  oxen  were  noiselessly  collected  and  securely  hitched  to  the  structure;  and  the  next  morning  saw  it 
standing  in  the  street,  far  enough  from  the  church  lot  to  throw  no  cloud  upon  its  title. 


FIRST   SAINT  JAMES   CHURCH. 


NOT  ALL   HARD    WORK. 


137 


don  by  Mr.  Brooks,  was  taken  from  the  store,  where  it  had  been  since 
its  arrival  in  1833,  and  Mrs.  Brooks,  assisted  by  George  Davis  (who 
taught  a  school)  and  others,  gave  several  concerts,  to  the  great  delight 
of  the  citizens.  Mr.  Davis  sang  "  The  Mogul,"  "  The  Bluebottle  Fly," 
and  other  songs,  and  Mrs.  Brooks  drew  loud  applause  with  "  The  Bat- 
tle of  Prague  "  and  such  martial  pieces. 

Judge  and  Mrs.  Caton  smile  at  the  recalling  of  those  times,  and 
the  venerable  ex-chief  justice,  from 
memory,  adds  to  the  song  reper- 
tory "A  Medley,"  also  sung  by  Mr. 
Davis,  whereof  the  only  words  he 
recalls  are : 

"  Without  feet  you  can't  have  toes 
To  march  to  the  battle-field.' 

He  says  that  Davis  was  a 
splendid  fellow,  the  life  of  every 
party  of  any  kind.  Also  that  at 
one  meeting  of  the  State  Legisla- 
ture George  Davis  went  to  Spring- 
field, quite  without  any  political 
backing,  and  announced  himself  as 
candidate  for  clerk  of  the  House. 
That  evening  he  sang  songs  at  the 
American  Hotel,  where  the  mem- 
bers most  resorted,  and  next  morn- 
ing was  elected  unanimously ! 

It  was  in  1834  that  a  marriage 
took  place,  memorable  in  several 
ways.  It  joined  together  the  two 
historic  races,  Kinzies  and  Whist- 
lers. Robert  Allen  Kinzie  married  Gwenthlean  Whistler,  grand-daughter 
of  the  builder  and  first  commandant  of  the  first  fort,  and  daughter  of  one 
of  the  last  commandants  of  the  second.  The  wedding  took  place  in 
the  fort,  and  was,  of  course,  followed  by  a  dance.  The  beauty  of  the 
bride  has  already  been  spoken  of,  and  the  interesting  fact  that  she  to-day 
is  in  Chicago,  in  the  full  vigor  of  her  faculties,  as  are  also  two  at  least  of 
her  early  contemporaries,  Judge  and  Mrs.  Caton,  whose  latest  portraits 
are  kindly  placed  at  the  disposal  of  this  "  Story,"  which  would  scarcely 
be  complete  without  them.  In  vain  do  we  try  to  get  the  bill  of  fare  of 
the  wedding  feast.  Of  ice-cream  and  oysters  there  were  surely  none. 
Home-made  confectionery,  cakes,  pies,  "sweetmeats,"  perhaps  a  few 
precious  Eastern  apples,  cold  meats,  poulty  and  game,  and  such  convivial 


Social  gayety. 


Kinzie-Whisc- 
ler  Wedding. 


•38 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Scarcity  of 
food  in  1834. 


liquids  as  the  garrison  could  furnish — this  was  probably  all  that  the 
union  of  all  the  housewifely  forces  could  provide,  and  good  and  ample 
it  was,  and  gay  the  talk  and  laughter.* 

But  think  of  Chicago  gaiety  without  a  jeweler,  confectioner  or  a 
dry  goods  store;  a  theatre,  a  pavement,  a  railway  or  horse-car;  a  car- 
riage, private  or  public;  a  street  number;  an  electric  or  gas  light  or  even 
a  kerosene  lamp;  a  telegraph,  a  telephone,  or  even  a  daily  mail;  a  bank 
or  insurance  company;  a  daily  paper,  a  postage  stamp  or  a  water  pipe  ! 

Without  even  a  friction  match,  ex- 
cept as  a  rare  and  curious  novelty. 
Flint-and-steel  was  the  reliance  for 
starting  fire,  or  more  usually  a  coal 
borrowed  from  a  neighbor,  in  cases 
where  the  "covered  fire"  had  not 
happened  to  "keep"  overnight. 

The  winter  of  1834  proved 
remarkably  severe,  and  flour  ran 
up  to  $28  a  barrel.  Potatoes  could 
not  be  had,  nor  butter.  The  entire 
fare  at  last  came  to  be  beef,  pork 
and  corn  meal,  with  a  little  molasses 
to  sweeten  life.  Mr.  Cleaver  says  : 
"  If  a  stray  hoosier  wagon,  or  prai- 
rie schooner,  as  we  used  to  call 
them,  happened  to  find  its  way  so 
far  north,  with  a  few  crocks  of 
butter,  dried  apples,  smoked  bacon, 
EX  CHIEF  JUST.CE  cATON.  hams,  etc.,  the  whole  village  would 

be  after  the  wagon,  to  get  hold  of  some  of  the  precious  commodities. 
On  the  yth  of  May  a  schooner  arrived,  laden  with  flour  and  provisions 
from  Detroit.  .  .  Her  freight  was  fortunately  consigned  to  an  honest 
man,  who  preferred  to  sell  it  at  a  fair  price — $10  a  barrel  —  though 
he  was  offered  $25  a  barrel  for  the  whole  cargo." 

This  "honest  man  "  was  George  W.  Dole.  Professor  Elias  Col- 
bert, in  his  Historical  and  Statistical  Sketch  (1868),  says  that  in  1832 
Mr.  Dole  began  the  great  provision  business  (the  most  profitable,  on 
the  whole,  of  all  branches  of  Chicago  trade)  by  packing  pork  and  beef 
for  Eastern  markets.  He  became,  in  fact,  the  father  of  the  packing,  the 
shipping,  the  warehouse  and  the  elevator  systems.  For  his  conduct 
regarding  the  relief  of  the  famine  of  1834  his  name  should  be  remem- 

*  Mrs.  Caton  relates  that  every  year  her  parents  sent  her  out  some  barrels  of  Oneida  county  apples— precious 
beyond  words.  One  year  they  were  belated  and  got  frozen,  and  to  this  day  she  can  scarcely  bear  to  speak  of  her  loss. 


NOT  ALL   HARD    WORK. 


139 


bered  as  worthy  to  be  coupled  with  that  of  Joseph  Stockton,  whose 
actions  during  the  Great  Fire  of  1871  are  hereafter  to  be  recounted. 

The  Lake  House  was  built  in  1835,  a  marvel  of  elegance  and 
magnificence,  which  people  came  from  afar  to  admire  ;  and  Mr.  Cleaver 
says  that  in  1836  the  boarders 
passed  a  jocular  resolution  that 
they  would  not  have  any  but  "  rich 
men "  staying  there,  putting  the 
standard  of  opulence  at  the  princely 
sum  of  $10,000. 

Checkers  was  a  common  game 
in  the  stores  in  the  daytime  as  well 
as  in  the  evening,  for  storekeepers 
had  plenty  of  leisure  while  waiting 
for  customers.  After  closing  for 
the  night  more  serious  dissipation 
was  prevalent  —  cards  and  drink; 
but  this,  being  only  low  masculine 
vagary,  does  not  belong  in  the  cat- 
egory of  society.  Prayer  meeting 
was  once  a  week  in  the  churches  ; 
the  now  prevalent  and  fashionable 
"Wednesday  evening  meeting" 
coming  down  to  us  from  those 
days  in  unbroken  course.  For  sixty  years,  doubtless,  not  a  Wed- 
nesday evening  has  passed  in  Chicago  without  from  one  to  thirty  of 
these  pious  seasons  of  happy  reunion. 

In  the  evening  at  the  old  Sauganash  (even  after  pianos  arrived) 
Mark  Beaubien  would  bring  out  his  fiddle  and  play  for  dancing ;  and  it 
is  said  that  if  a  string  broke  he  would  do  well  as  ever  on  the  other 
three ;  if  two  gave  out  he  went  along  with  the  remaining  two,  and  if  he 
had  but  one  left  he  even  made  shift  to  keep  the  bow  scraping  on  that. 

No  theatres,  concert  halls  or  reading  rooms  yet.  The  latest  New 
York  papers  were  twenty  or  thirty  days  old.  A  visitor  at  the  Cleaver 
house,  seeing  a  shelf  filled  with  some  old  books,  asked  if  they  kept  a 
bookstore.  One  fine  night  in  the  winter  of  1833  everybody  in  Chicago 
turned  out  for  a  frolic  on  the  frozen  river.  One  fine  night  in  summer 
Mr.  Cleaver  caught  a  muskallonge,  five  and  a  half  feet  long,  in  the  North 
Branch,  spearing  it  by  the  light  of  a  torch  set  in  the  head  of  the  boat. 

There  was  very  little  visiting  done  among  the  ladies,  as  they  had  all  they  could  attend  to  at 
home,  servant  girls  being  very  scarce.  The  houses  in  those  days  were  not  well  calculated  for  com- 
pany, most  of  them  being  16x20,  a  story  and  a  half,  with  a  lean-to.  .  .  .  The  house  we  lived  in 
that  winter,  on  the  corner  of  Kinzie  and  Rush  streets,  was  about  as  large  as  any  in  town  ;  but, 


MRS.  CATON. 


Dances  and 
prayer  meet- 
ings. 


140 


THE  STORY  OF  CHJCAGO. 


unfortunately,  it  was  not  completed,  being  neither  lathed  nor  plastered  .  .  The  thermometer 
marked  twenty  degrees  below  zero.  Fortunately,  we  had  warm  clothing,  and  would  almost  roast  in 
front  of  a  huge  wood  fire  in  the  large  chimney,  while  our  backs  were  covered  with  thick  cloaks  to 
keep  from  freezing.  I  actually  had  my  cup  freeze  to  the  saucer  while  sitting  at  the  table  at  break- 
fast. .  .  .  Pots  were  boiled  hanging  from  a  hook  over  the  fire,  and  bread  baked  in  a  baking 
pot  with  hot  wood  ashes  above  and  below  it.  .  .  .  The  water  was  brought  from  the  river  in  pails. 

The  one  unequaled,  universal,  inevitable,  invincible  thing  then  pre- 
vailing about  Garlick  creek — otherwise  the  Chicago  river — was  MUD. 
Mr.  Cleaver  says  that  mired  wagons  were  an  every-day  sight  in  the 
streets.  A  stage-coach,  stuck  fast  and  abandoned  on  Clark  street,  just 
north  of  Randolph,  staid  there  for  days,  and  near  it  was  stuck  a  board 
bearing  the  inscription,  "  No  bottom  here."  A  lady,  whom  he  saw  trying 
to  cross  Randolph  at  LaSalle,  left  both  shoes  in  the  mire,  and  only 

Unfathomable  .  '  . 

reached  the  sidewalk  in  her  stockings.  The  only  way  for  "  fashionable 
young  ladies"  to  get  from  the  North  Side  to  the  Presbyterian  church 
was  by  a  dirt-cart  with  buffalo  robes  thrown  on  its  floor,  and  he  once 
saw  these  fashionable  young  ladies  dumped  in  front  of  the  church 
because  of  the  driver's  having  forgotten  to  put  in  the  bolt.  A  slough 
starting  northward  from  about  State  and  Adams  streets  grew  deeper 
and  wider  till  it  emptied  into  the  river  near  State  street  bridge. 
Another  in  Clark  street,  south  of  Washington,  the  village  wished  to 
drain  ;  but  it  had  not  the  $60  needed.  The  council  applied  to  Strachan 
&  Scott  for  a  loan,  but  could  not  get  it  until  it  was  guaranteed  by  E.  B. 
Williams  (President  of  the  Town  Board),  when  it  was  borrowed;  prob- 
ably the  first  dollar  of  Chicago  public  debt. 

The  first  effort  at  drainage  was  a  curious  experiment.  Lake  street 
was  excavated  to  the  depth  of  three  feet,  deepest  in  the  middle,  and 
planks  were  laid  from  sidewalk  to  centre.  This  did  admirably  in  dry 
weather.  When  it  rained  the  wheels  worked  the  planks  into  mud, 
until  it  would  splash  up  between  them  into  the  horses'  faces.  After  two 
or  three  years  the  opposite  plan  was  tried,  and  the  street  "  turnpiked  " 
Experiments  m  to  a  ridge  in  the  middle,  which  did  very  well,  especially  in  dry 
m  times.  As  the  streets  rose  the  houses  did  likewise,  and  cellars  began 
to  be  possible,  for  up  to  this  time  there  could  be  none  on  either  South, 
or  West  Side.  This  was  the  beginning  of  an  emergence  from  the  mire 
which  has  gone  on  until  now,  when  the  bottoms  of  our  deepest  cellars 
scarcely  reach  the  original  surface  of  the  soil.  It  will  amuse  anyone 
curious  in  such  things  to  peep  into  any  modern  excavation  for  a  street? 
sewer  in  the  central  South  Side  and  see  the  strata  of  street  grading  and. 
paving  which  make  the  walls  of  the  dug-out  ditch. 

From  this  time  forward  to  about  1875,  Chicago's  steps  upward 
were  slow,  halting  and  toilsome — somewhat  like  those  of  the  lady  whom 
Mr.  Cleaver  saw  leave  her  shoes  in  the  mud  and  wade  ashore  in  her 
stockings.  To  us  who  watched  them  they  seem  absurd,  to  newcomers 


NOT  ALL  HARD    WORK.  141 

almost  incredible.    A  street  was  raised,  say  six  feet.     Then  each  house- 
holder looked  upward    from    his   front  door  as  from  the  bottom  of  ar 

established 

gully.  He  was  said  to  live  "under  the  sidewalk."  Next,  one  owner,  Brade- 
building  anew  or  raising  his  house,  or  (as  was  sometimes  done)  mak- 
ing his  second  story  the  main  floor  and  using  his  first  as  a  cellar,  had 
his  sidewalk  laid  where  it  belonged,  whereupon  his  neighbor  had  to 
build  steps  to  reach  it.  "  The  ups  and  downs  of  life  in  Chicago  "  was 
a  perennial  joke  for  many  a  year.* 

Our  invaluable  printed  record,  Volume  I  of  the  "Chicago  Demo- 
crat," on  February  18,  1834,  made  an  announcement  as  follows: 


EXHIBITION. 

Joy  hath  its  limits.       We  but  borrow  one  hour  of  mirth  from  months  of  sorrow. 

The  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  Chicago  are  most  respectfully  informed  that  Mr.  Bowers, 
Pj-ofesseur  de  Tours  Amusants,  has  arrived  in  town  and  will  give  an  exhibition  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
D.  Graves  on  Monday  evening  next. 

PART   FIRST. 

Mr.  Bowers  will  fully  personate  Monsieur  Chaubert,  the  celebrated  Fire  King,  who  so 
much  astonished  the  people  of  Europe,  and  go  through  his  wonderful  chemical  performance.  He 
will  draw  a  red-hot  iron  across  his  tongue,  hands,  etc.,  and  will  partake  of  a  comfortable  warm  sup- 
per by  eating  fire-balls,  burning  ceiling-wax,  live  coals  of  fire  and  melted  lead.  He  will  dip  his 
fingers  in  melted  lead,  and  make  use  of  a  red-hot  iron  to  convey  the  same  to  his  mouth. 

PART   SECOND. 

Mr.  Bowers  will  introduce  many  very  amusing  feats  of  ventriloquism  and  legerdemain, 
many  of  which  are  original  and  too  numerous  to  mention.  Admittance,  50  cents,  children  half-price. 
Performance  to  commence  at  early  candle-light.  Seats  will  be  reserved  for  ladies,  and  every  atten- 
tion paid  to  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the  spectators.  Tickets  to  be  had  at  the  bar. 

"  D.  Graves"  was  Dexter  Graves  (father  of  Mrs.  Edward  Had- 
dock, and  therefore  ancestor  of  some  of  our  richest  citizens),  and  his  resi- 

-  T  ,,  •   i  r    T       i  i  Earliest  Public 

dence  was  the  "  Mansion  House,  north  side  of  Lake  street,  between  Exhibition. 
State  and  Dearborn  (now  84  and  86  Lake  street).  This  performance 
was  the  first  given  by  a  professional  "  artist "  whereof  we  have  any 
record.  After  this  they  no  doubt  came  along  in  quick  succession  and 
with  good  patronage,  for  these  were  the  years  of  Chicago's  first 
"  boom."  Mr.  Cleaver  quotes  as  a  current  saying,  "  If  you  leave  a  shill- 
ing on  the  doorstep  over  night,  you  find  it  grown  to  a  dollar  next 
morning." 

The  first  "one-horse  shay"  was,  according,  to  Mr.  Hurlbut,  one  in 
which  Philo  Carpenter  and  his  bride  rode  into  the  village  early  in  1834; 
the  first  pleasure-carriage,  that  brought  from  the  East  by  Colonel  Jean 

*  One  of  the  earliest  "ups  and  downs '' was  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  first  lighthouse,  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
river,  a  stone's  throw  west  of  Rush  Street  bridge.  Isaac  D.  Harmon,  the  seventeen-year  old  son  of  Dr.  Elijah  D.  Har- 
mon, before  mentioned,  wrote  an  amusing  letter  to  his  absent  brother  (October  31,  1831).  "  We  have  had  a  flattener  pass 
over  the  face  of  our  prospects.  The  lighthouse  that,  the  day  before  yesterday,  stood  in  all  its  glory,  the  pride  of  this 
wonderful  village,  is  now  '  doused?  .  .  .  Cracks  have  been  observed  in  it.  .  .  .  Jackson  said  'You  can't  get 
it  down.'  My  father  told  them  it  leaned  10  one  side.  They  laughed  at  him.  .  .  .  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening 
down  tumbled  the  whole  work  with  a  noise  like  the  rattling  of  fifty  claps  of  thunder.  The  walls  were  three  feet  thick, 
and  it  had  been  raised  fifty  feet  in  height.  The  first  thing  father  said  when  he  went  out  was,  '  Does  It  lean  any  now  ?'  " 


THE  STORY   Of    CHICAGO. 


Field  s|K>rt>. 


Haptiste  Beaubien,  which  the  villagers  greeted  on  its  arrival  by  turning 
out  in  procession. 

Mr.  Hurlbut  also  tells  of  some  wild,  harum-scarum  horse-play  car- 
ried on  without  reference  to  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others,  by  a  dozen 

or  so  of  persons  he  names, 
whom  he  classes  together 
under  the  name  of  "the 
club."  They  played  prac- 
tical jokes ;  they  stole  the 
cannon  which  had  been  re- 
covered after  being  sunk  in 
the  river  ever  since  the  mas- 
sacre ;  they  freed  the  wild 
animals  in  the  menagerie  and 
rode  some  of  them  about 
from  one  dramshop'  to 
another.  In  short,  they  were 
the  drinking  element;  and, 
by  consequence  or  by  re- 
markable coincidence,  none 
of  the  names  he  records  are 
among  those  which  nowr 
(1891)  appear  among  Chi- 
cago capitalists  and  leaders. 
Wild  game,  once  so  plen- 
tiful, grew,  between  1830 
and  1840,  quite  rare.  Mr. 
Cleaver,  being  a  true  Briton, 
was  a  sportsman.  Just  after  his  arrival  in  1833  he  came  upon  a 
multitude  of  prairie  chickens  in  a  grove  of  fir-trees  about  where  Division 
street  reaches  the  lake.  He  once  shot  a  wild  goose  on  the  main  river 
near  the  Rush  street  crossing. 

In  the  fall  of  1834  a  party  of  a  hundred  or  more  went  eight  or  ten 
miles  out  (Graceland),  and,  spreading  themselves  from  the  North  Branch 
to  the  lake,  hunted  southward.  Some  few  deer  and  a  few  wolves,  scared 
by  the  noise,  swam  the  river  near  La  Salle  street,  ran  through  the  vil- 
lage and  escaped  to  the  South  Branch  woods;  a  few  others  were  shot 
by  the  hunters,  but  the  whole  hunt  was  considered  a  failure  and  was  the 
last  of  its  kind.  Still,  the  wolves  were  prevalent  for  several  years  more 
and  Fernando  Jones  now  points  out  the  very  spot  where  he  killed  one 
in  Dearborn  street,  just  south  of  Madison,  opposite  the  present  site  of 
the  "  Tribune"  Building. 


NOT  ALL   HARD    WORK. 


J43 


SALOON"    HI  ILDING. 


The  brick  "  Saloon  Building  "  was  built  (southwest  corner  of  Lake 
and  Clark  streets)  by  Col.  J.  B.  F.  Russell,  in  1836.  It  was  not  what 
a  "  saloon  "  has  now  come  to 
mean,  a  drinking-place.  The 
liquor-dealers  have  made  suc- 
cessive (and  temporarily  suc- 
cessful) attempts  to  escape 
the  odium  attaching  to  their 
trade  by  taking  new  names 
for  their  shops.  The  tippling- 
house  or  rum-shop  has  been 
re-named  the  gin-mill,  the  bar- 
rel-house, the  wine-shop,  the 
public  house, the  bar-room, the 
saloon,  the  sample-room,  etc., 
and  fifty  years  ago  a  "saloon" 
was  simply  a  secular  meeting 
chamber.  The  one  in  ques- 
tion was  the  finest  hall  west  of  Buffalo,  and  was  used  for  distinguished 
occasions.  It  was  there  that  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  in  1838,  had  the  first 
"  joint  debate "  ever  held  in  northern  Illinois;  being  a  political  discus- 
sion with  John  T.  Stuart,  his  competitor  for 
Congress.  The  postoffice  was  in  that  building 
for  a  time,  and  it  was  in  its  upper  story  that 
our  present  veteran  printer,  Robert  Fergus, 
began  business  as  junior  in  the  firm  of  "  Ellis 
&  Fergus." 

The  postoffice  was  for  many  a  year  the 
general  meeting  place  of  friends  and  fellow- 
citizens.  There  was  the  only  place  for  paying 
postage.  Everyone  must  carry  his  letters 
thither  to  post,  and  call  there  for  any  he  should 
receive.  Not  only  were  there  no.  carriers  and 
no  lamp-post  boxes ;  there  were  no  postage 
stamps,  no  envelopes,  no  postal  cards,  no  registered  letters  or  money 
orders.  Postage  (single  rate)  was  6*£  cents  for  distances  up  to  30 
miles;  10  cents  up  to  80  miles  ;  12^  cents  up  to  150  miles;  1 8^!  cents 
up  to  400  miles,  and  25  cents  beyond  this.  Letters  were  charged  not 
by  weight,  but  by  number  of  sheets  ;  a  single  one  of  any  weight  going 
at  single  rate,  and  a  double  or  triple,  no  matter  how  light,  calling  for 
double  or  triple  payment  as  the  case  might  be.  In  the  absence  of 
envelopes,  the  large  letter  sheets  were  folded  (the  art  of  neat  folding 


ROBERT    PKRCUIS. 


Primitive 
1'ostal  Service. 


244  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

being  a  part  of  elegant  training)  and  sealed  ;  usually  with  a  wafer, 
though  sealing  wax  and  a  crested  seal  were  the  more  elegant  devices. 
An  aristocrat  is  said  to  have  resented  a  wafer-closed  letter  with  the 
words  "  The  fellow  sends  me  his  spittle  !  " 

The  fractional  charges  above  named  were  based  on  the  Spanish 
coins  then  prevalent ;  halves,  quarters,  eighths  (shillings),  sixteenths 
(sixpences),  as  no  dimes  or  half-dimes  came  into  general  use  until  near 
1850.  It  was  pretty  poor  stuff — and  alas!  very  scarce;  especially 
in  the  years  to  be  chronicled  in  a  succeeding  chapter;  the  year  1837  and 
its  melancholy  train. 

No  Chicago  annalist  can  pass  over  1835  without  dwelling  on  a 
notable  event,  the  arrival  of  William  B.  Ogden.  He  was  then  thirty 
years  old,  and  had  already  made  for  himself  a  name  in  his  native  State, 
New  York,  having  been  member  of  the  legislature  and  advocate  of  the 
projected  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad.  Charles  Butler  (who  had  mar- 
ried Mr.  Ogden's  sister)  had,  with  Arthur  Bronson,  of  New  York,  and 
others,  bought  from  the  Kinzies  and  their  connection,  David  Hunter, 
a  large  part  of  the  North  Side.* 

He  employed  Mr.  Ogden  to  come  to  Chicago  and  manage  this  prop- 
erty. Arriving  in  a  "wet  spell,"  Mr.  O.  found  the  tract  to  be  an  unbro- 
ken field,  covered  with  a  coarse  growth  of  oak  and  underbrush,  marshy 
and  muddy  from  the  recent  rains.  "  It  had  neither  form  nor  comeliness, 
and  he  could  not,  in  its  then  primitive  condition,  see  it  as  possessing  any 
value  or  offering  any  advantages  to  justify  the  extraordinary  price  for 
which  it  had  been  bought."  The  Government  land  sales,  instead  of 
glutting  the  market,  helped  it,  for  it  brought  out  crowds  of  Eastern 
niiam  buyers,  bitten  by  the  land  craze  of  1835,  and  these  made  Ogden's  auc- 

B.  Ocden.  _.   .  111  •  • 

tion  a  great  success.  '  I  his  result,  although  it  was  astonishing  to  him, 
yet  seemed  to  fail  of  making  the  impression  on  his  mind  of  the  future  of 
the  town  which  was  to  become  the  scene  of  his  after  life,  and  in  the 
development  and  growth  of  which  he  himself  was  to  become  an  active 
and  most  important  factor."  He  returned  to  the  East,  but  came  back 
in  1836,  from  which  time  forward,  until  he  went  back  to  New  York  to 
end  his  days,  his  history  may  almost  be  said  to  be  the  history  of 
Chicago. 

It  is  not  best,  at  this  point  in   our  story,  to  give  more  than  thus 

much  of  an  introduction  to  this  great  man,  and  to  add  some  of  his  per- 

•  sonal  characteristics.     He  was  generally  thought  one  of  the  handsomest 

of  men.    Tall  and  stalwart ;  large  of  brain  and  eye  ;  with  manners  at  once 

*  Mr.  Bronson  and  associates,  in  1834,  bought  half  of  Kinzies'  addition,  the  whole  of  Wolcott's  addition,  and 
block  No.  i  (north  of  the  river)  of  the  original  town  (canal  trustee's  subdivision),  in  all  182  acres,  for  $20,000.  In 
May,  1835,  Mr.  Butler  paid  for  the  same  property  $100,000.  Mr.  Ogden  came  out  and  held  an  auction  sale  of  lots  in  the 
summer  of  1835,  when  about  one-third  of  the  whole  was  sold,  bringing  more  than  $100,000.  (See  an  interesting  letter 
from  Charles  Butler  dated  December,  1881,  published  in  I  Andreas,  p.  139.) 


NOT  ALL   HARD    WORK.  145 

dignified,  courtly  and  cordial ;  to  meet  him  was  to  be  charmed,  to  talk 
with  him  was  to  admire  and  wonder.  His  dwelling,  up  to  the  great  fire, 
occupied  the  entire  block  bounded  by  Erie,  Rush,  Ontario  and  Cass 
streets,  and  was  the  home  of  elegant  hospitality.  He  was  a  bachelor, 
and  his  establishment  was  managed  by  Mr.  Edwin  H.  Sheldon  (himself 
one  of  the  best,  most  cultivated  and  most  lovable  of  men),  and  Mrs. 
Sheldon,  Mr.  Ogden's  sister.  No  one  once  admitted  to  that  gay  circle 
can  ever  forget  it  Among  the  hosts  of  his  distinguished  visitors  were 
Van  Buren,  Webster,  Marcy,  Bryant,  Emerson,  Miss  Martineau,  Fred- 
erika  Bremer,  etc. 

The  writer  recalls  a  visit  there  when  Mr.  Ogden,  with  Samuel  J. 
Tilden  (his  friend,  associate  and  counsel),  were  looking  over  maps  and 
consulting  on  the  possible  extension  of  the  North-Western  Railroad. 
Tracing  its  future  course  to  Fond  du  Lac,  St.  Paul,  etc.,  Mr.  Ogden  ran 
his  hand  in  what  seemed  only  a  visionary  course,  away  up  to  Lake 
Superior  itself,  and  then  off  westward  (Northern  Pacific)  and  eastward j,ersona) Mem. 
(Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  the  St.  Lawrence),  saying  nothing,  but  intimat-  o^ 
ing  that  his  broad  views  took  in  as  romance  all  that  has  since 
become  reality.  Afterward  he  led  the  visitor  into  the  drawing-room, 
where  were  the  younger  members  of  the  family  and  their  friends ;  and, 
sitting  down  at  the  piano,  sang  to  his  own  accompaniment  a  sweet, 
pathetic  ditty  running  : 

O  come  to  me  and  bring  with  thee 

The  sunny  smiles  of  former  years, 
If  smiles  so  bright  can  lend  their  light 

To  cheer  a  brow  long  used  to  tears. 
We  will  not  let  one  sad  regret, 

One  thought  of  grief  our  meeting  chill. 
For  thy  dear  sake  I'll  strive  to  make 

This  altered  cheek  look  cheerful  still. 
***** 

Then  come  to  me,  our  theme  shall  be   . 

The  friends  we  love,  not  those  we  mourn. 
We'll  not  destroy  one  present  joy 

Lamenting  joys  that  ne'er  return. 
The  sunny  rays  of  boyhood's  days 

And  early  prime  we  ne'er  may  see, 
.  But  hours  of  bright  and  pure  delight 

We've  yet  in  store — then  come  to  me. 

We  were  prone  to  connect  this  little  ballad,  the  only  verses  we  ever 
heard  of  his  singing,  with  a  youthful  romance,  the  crushing  whereof  by 
the  hand  of  death  clouded  his  early  life  and  kept  him  a  bachelor. 
When  he  himself  died  his  will  showed  by  some  of  its  provisions  that  long 
years  had  not  dimmed  the  memory  of  her  whom  he  had  loved  and  lost. 

Mr.  Ogden  had  friends  and  foes  about  him.  What  strong  man  has 
not?  But  the  one  thing  which  Chicago  found  hardest  to  forgive  was 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


his  final  departure  and  return  to  the  State  of  his  birth  and  early  life. 
This  occurred  about  1865,  though  for  some  years  before  he  had  been 
spending  more  and  more  of  his  time  in  New  York. 

An  incident   of  Mr.  Ogden's  life  may  be  here  related,  partly  as 

illustrative  of  the  times,  and 
partly  because  it  introduces 
another  Chicago  worthy, 
Isaac  N.  Arnold.  Mr.  Ar- 
nold was  also  one  of  the 
grand  citizens  dating  from 
"the  Thirties,"  whose  life 
and  words  and  works  force 
us  to  say  with  a  swelling  of 
the  heart,  "There,  were 
giants  in  those  days." 

A  firm  in  Danville  had 
failed,  owing  $10,000  to  Mr. 
Ogden.  It  also  owed  Hub- 
bard  &  Co.  a  large  sum,  and 
whichever  should  reach  the 
spot  first,  with  the  necessary 
legal  process,  would  fare 
best  in  the  distribution  of 
assets.  Mr.  Arnold,  as  attor- 
ney for  Mr.  Ogden,  hired 
the  best  saddle  horse  in 
Chicago,  a  stout  gelding,  and  started  out  bright  and  early  to  ride  on 
"  Hubbard's  Trail  "  over  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  of  lonely 
prairie  which  then  (1837)  intervened  between  the  two  towns.  On  the 
morning  of  the  second,  day,  at  Rexford's  cabin,  on  the  Calumet,  Arnold 
found  himself  in  company  with  Henry  Hubbard,  with  his  fast  trotter 
hitched  to  a  sulky.  Neither  party  hurried  his  beast,  but  Hubbard  kept 
ahead,  the  gray  following.  Each  was  evidently  saving  up  for  the  final 
twenty  miles  or  so.  They  stopped  for  the  last  night  at  a  tavern  about 
fifteen  miles  from  Danville. 

Before' either  started  next  morning,  a  stranger  accosted  Arnold, 
told  him  of  a  grievance  he  had  against  Hubbard,  and  added  : 

"  I  hearn  say  it's  a  tight  race  between  ye  which  '11  git  t'  Dan- 
ville first.  Now,  stranger,  I'll  help  ye.  But  don't  let  on.  Let  him 
start  ahead  ;  I'll  put  my  boy  thar  on  your  gray  an'  let  him  follow 
slowly  behind,  not  too  far,  so  your  gray  kin  be  seen,  but  the  rider 
not  be  known.  I've  got  a  pair  of  colts  I  kin  hitch  up,  an'  I'll  take 


ISAAC    N.    ARNOLD. 


NOT  ALL   HARD    WORK. 


'47 


ye  by  another  road  into   Danville,  thirty  to  sixty  minutes  ahead  of  that 
feller." 

So  said,  so  done.  When  Hubbard  arrived  he  found  Arnold, 
with  the  sheriff,  in  possession  of  the  coveted  assets.  (Fergus'  Histor- 
ical Series,  No.  17.) 


Hubbard,  Ogden,  Arnold,  Wentworth,  Dole,  Skinner,  Scammon, 
Brown,  Peck,  Egan,  Brainard,  Judd,  Calhoun,  Wilson — such  were  the 
men  (all  gone  now)  who  "ran  things"  in  Chicago  in  the  days  of  canal 
building.  It  took  all  their  courage,  industry,  foresight,  self-confidence, 
and  power  of  inspiring  confidence  in  others — in  short,  their  qualities  of 
greatness — to  carry  it  through.  As  some  rhymester  says,  in  an  early 
issue  of  the  Chicago  "Tribune:" 

This  notion  surely  is  an  awful  staggerer. 
Down  to  the  Gulf  they'd  carry  great  Niagara! 
And,  by  forestalling  all  its  feeding  torrents, 
Make  a  dry  bridle-path  of  the  St.  Lawrence! 


KVOI.UT10N    OK    CLAKK    STRBE'I  . 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


FAIRLY  LAUNCHED. 

ITHERTO,  the  question  for  the  historiographer  has 
been  "What  can  I  find  out?"  Now  comes  the  period 
when  he  has  to  ask  "What  can  I  leave  out?"  The 
latter,  needless  to  say,  is  the  more  puzzling  problem. 
Still  there  remains  much  to  be  told  of  the  days  of  small 
things;  times  strangely  primitive,  when  it  is  considered 
that  they  are  within  the  lifetime  of  a  large  proportion 
of  our  contemporaries. 

Great  human  interest  attaches  to  the  adjective 
"  first."  The  first  feeble  cry  of  the  babe,  the  first  totter- 
ing steps  of  the  child,  the  first  short  trousers  of  the  boy  and  long 
skirts  of  the  girl,  the  first  consciousness  of  beauty  and  dawn  of  love, 
the  first  month  of  married  life,  the  first  earnings  of  labor  and  accumu- 
lation of  capital,  the  first  sermon,  client  or  patient,  the  first  battle  or 
bereavement  —  in  short,  the  opening  incidents  in  every  earthly  career 
have  a  thrill  of  their  own,  out  of  proportion  to  that  belonging  to  a 
thousand  greater  things  that  may  follow.  The  poet  says: 

There  are  gains  for  all  our  losses, 

There  is  balm  for  all  our  pain; 
But  when  youth,  the  dream,  departs. 
It  takes  something  from  our  hearts 

And  it  never  comes  again. 

Perhaps  a  more  appropriate  quotation,  for  the  incipient  doings  of 
a  great  city,  is  the  couplet  from  Longfellow's  "  The  Building  of  the 
Ship  : " 

She  starts,  she  moves,  she  seems  to  feel 
The  thrill  of  life  along  her  keel." 

To  do  justice  to  the  beginnings 
of  Chicago,  both  writer  and  reader 
must  be  inspired  with  the  kindly 
sentiment  that  hovers  over  those 
first  cries,  first  steps,  first  failings 
and  successes. 

The  decade  beginning  with  1830  was  the  mere  childhood  of 
the  city.  Well  past  the  middle  of  that  decade  there  was  a  fine  grove 
of  trees  along  the  east  side  of  the  South  Branch  from  Madison  street 
southward,  and  on  October  6,  1834,  a  black  bear  was  shot  in  those 
woods,  near  the  present  corner  of  Market  and  Jackson  streets.  This 

148 


PRAIRIE   WOLF. 


FAIRLY  LAUNCHED. 


149 


Square. 


grove  was  the  hiding  place  of  the  wolves  which  infested  the  village,  and 
at  about  the  same  time  a  grand  hunt  was  effectual  in  killing  forty  of 
the  "varmints."  (Bears — and  bulls — still  haunt  the  vicinity.) 

For  vagrant  domestic  animals,  provision  was  made  as  early  as  1831, 
when  a  log  "  estray  pen  "  was  erected  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Ran- 
dolph and  LaSalle  streets  on  the  vacant  lot  (outside  of  town)  which  Ejan  on  Pubuc 
had  been  set  apart  for  county  purposes.     This  was  the  first  "  public 
building"  in  all  Chicago,  and  the  second  was  like  unto  it  in  location, 
material  and  purpose,  being  nothing  else  than  a  log  jail  built  on  ,the 
same    spot  two  years  later.     It  is 
now  occupied  by  the  city  offices, 
board    of   aldermen,    etc.,    a    fact 
which  has  given  rise  to  the  jocular 
remark  that  its   use   and    purpose 
never  have  changed.* 

On  November  7,  1833,  an  or- 
dinance passed  the  Town  Board  for- 
bidding the  throwing  into  the  river 
of  any  dead  animal,  under  penalty 
of  $3  for  each  offense.  On  Novem- 
ber 10, 1834,  the  Council  paid  $95.50 
for  the  digging  of  a  public  well  at 
the  corner  of  Cass  and  Michigan 
streets.  The  laws  and  ordinances 
about  fire  were  strict  in  1835  and 
sometimes  very  oddly  worded.  No 
person  was  allowed  "to  endanger 
the  public  safety  by  pushing  a  red- 
hot  stovepipe  through  a  board  wall," 
and  all  were  forbidden  to  carry 

"open  coals  of  fire  through  the  streets  except  in  a  covered  fire-proof 
vessel."  The  latter  provision,  in  the  absence  of  matches,  was  deemed 
a  hardship  not  endurable  and  was  repealed  soon  after  its  passage. 

Judge  Caton  recalls  July  12,  1834,  as  an  era  in  his  youthful  expe- 
rience. It  was  the  beginning  of  his  judicial  career,  his  election  to  the 
office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  the  only  public  office  he  ever  held,  except 
those  of  Alderman  of  the  city  (1837-8)  and  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  of  the  81316(1843-56).  The  first-mimed  election  was  an  ani- 

•  Some  political  rhymester,  wishing  to  slur  a  city  administration  to  which  he  was  opposed,  wrote  a  lampoon,  of 
which  the  closing  stanza  runs  : 

In  that  same  spot,  as  all  may  see. 

Are  housed,  at  public  charge, 
The  dangerous  )>cs:s  that  should  not  be 
Allowed  to  run  at  large. 


JOSIAH  C.  GOODHUE. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

mated  contest,  bringing  out  every  last  voter  in  the  precinct,  from 
Clybourn's  to  Hardscrabble  and  beyond,  perhaps  taking  in  the  Calumet 
crossing.  The  Government  piers  had  been  built  and  the  beginning  of  a 
channel  had  been  cut  across  the  immemorial  sand-bar,  but  as  yet  it  had 
never  been  used.  On  this  memorable  day  the  schooner  Illinois  chanced 
to  be  lying  at  anchor  in  the  offing,  and  the  friends  of  young  Caton 
(George  W.  Dole  and  others),  to  the  number  of  a  hundred  or  so,  got 
ropes  to  the  schooner  and  absolutely  dragged  her  in  by  main  force  over 
the.  bar  through  the  unfinished  dug-way.  Then  they  decked  her  with 
all  the  bunting  in  the  village  and,  hoisting  sail,  sailed  triumphantly  up 
the  stream  to  the  forks  —  the  first  vessel  that  ever  penetrated  Chicago 
River.  And  when  the  votes  were  counted  the  tally  showed:  John 
Dean  Caton,  182  ;  Josiah  C.  Goodhue,  47. 

The  venerable  jurist  recalls  another  incident  and  relates  it;  albeit  at 
the  time  of  its  occurrence  it  was  one  he  did  not  care  to  dwell  upon.  He 
had  studied  law  in  New  "York  State,  and  came  out  thinking  he  knew  a 
good  deal  of  it.  To  get  his  license  to  practice  he  rode  on  horseback  all 
the  way  to  Pekin,  on  the  Illinois  River,  where  he  found  Judge  Lock- 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  holding  Circuit  Court.  It  was  the  last 


B*r-  day  of  term,  and  he  waited  till  Court  adjourned,  after  which  he  pre- 

sented himself  to  Judge  Lockwood  in  chambers,  and  stated  his  busi- 
ness. The  Justice  introduced  him  to  Stephen  T.  Logan  (partner  of 
Abraham  Lincoln),  John  T.  Stewart,  John  J.  Hardin  (killed  at  the 
battle  of  Buena  Vista),  and  Dan  Stone,  Circuit  Judge,  and  later  they 
went  to  the  tavern  for  supper.  After  supper  Judge  Lockwood  strolled 
out  for  a  walk  in  the  moonlight,  taking  the  young  candidate  along;  and 
suddenly  stopping  beside  an  oak  stump,  began  asking  him  questions  on 
the  theory  and  practice  of  the  law;  the  stump  their  bar.  The  examina- 
tion ended,  Judge  Lockwood  spoke  the  words  of  fate:  "Young  man, 
you've  got  a  good  deal  of  law  to  learn  if  you  want  to  make  a  reputation 
at  the  bar.  But  if  you  work  hard  I  think  you'll  succeed.  I  shall  give 
you  your  license."  And  nine  years  later  the  young  man  sat  on  the 
Supreme  Bench  beside  his  friendly  examiner. 

In  the  same  year  (1834)  there  was  a  "cholera  scare,"  and  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Town  Trustees  was  held  "  to  make  suitable  arrangements  to 
prevent  the  introduction  of  the  dreadful  and  fatal  disease."  Doctors 
William  Clark  and  E.  S.  Kimberly  were  authorized  to  establish  a  hos- 
pital outside  the  limits,  to  prescribe  for  the  sick,  and  instruct  the  super- 
visor in  regard  to  the  preservation  of  public  health.  The  supervisor 
was  authorized  to  compel  "every  male  person  in  the  said  town,  over 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  to  work  on  the  streets  and  alleys  within 
the  corporation  for  the  purpose  of  cleaning  them,"  and  a  failure  to  work 


FA1RL  Y  LA  UNCHED.  i5i 

or  furnish  a  substitute  was  punished  by  a  fine  of  five  dollars  for  each 
offense.*  A  similar  enactment  to-day  would  produce  an  amusing  exhibi- 
tion ;  nearly  worth  a  repetition  of  the  "  scare,"  provided  its  result  was 
the  same — for  the  cholera  was  averted. 


THE  OLD  JUDGE  AM)  THE  YOUNG  CANDIDATE. 


On  August  13,  1835,  the  Board  provided  for  the  establishment  of 
the  first  public  cemeteries  (not  counting  the  garrison  burying  ground 
on  the  Lake  front),  which  were  located  as  follows  :  Ten  acres  on  the 
North  Side  (Chicago  Avenue,  near  the  lake),  and  sixteen  acres  on  the 

» isth  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works  (1890),  p.  430. 


THE   STORY   OF   CHICAGO. 


South  Side,  about  where  Twenty-Third  Street  crosses  Wabash 
Avenue.  During  the  spring  freshet  of  1849  two  coffins  were  seen  float- 
ing down  the  river,  supposed  to  have  been  from  some  small  burying 
ground  on  the  North  Branch,  in  the  Waubansia  addition. 

On  September  19, 1835,  the  town  board  ordered  the  purchase  of  two 
fire  engines  (of  course  the  old-fashioned  hand-brake  machines,  to  be 


The  first  Town 
Census  of  Chi- 
cago. 


DOUBLE  DECKED  FIRE  KNGINE  AND  HOOK  AND  LADDER  TRUCK. 

dragged  by  men  strung  out  on  a  long  loop  of  rope)  and  1,000  feet  of 
hose.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  great  fire  department  which  has 
served  us  so  often  well — and  once  so  ill — from  that  day  to  this. 

On    October  7,   1835,  John  Dean  Caton,  who  had  been   the  town 
attorney  in  1833  and  1834,  was  paid  $75  for  such  service. 

The  first  census  of  Chicago  was  reported  in  the  "Democrat"  of  Novem- 
ber 25,  1835,  showing  3,265  persons,  398  dwellings,  4  warehouses,  29  dry 
goods  stores,  19  grocery  and  provision  stores,  5  hardware  stores,  3  drug 
stores,  19  taverns,  26  groceries  (probably  liquor  stores)  and  17  lawyer's 
offices.  The  latter  doubtless  averaged  two  or  more  occupants  apiece. 
Suppose  there  to  have  been  34  lawyers  here  then,  there  were  nearly  four 
times  as  many  as  now  (1891 ), 
in  proportion  to  the  total 
population.  Miller's  tan- 
nery, still  remembered  by 
Judge  Blodgett  as  existing 
in  1832  on  the  North  Side 
near  the  forks  of  the  river, 
is  not  mentioned.  Possibly 
it  had  been  closed.  In  fact 
Judge  Caton  remembers  that  the  old  tannery,  as  early  as  1833,  was  used 
as  a  justice  court,  for  it  was  there  he  tried  his  first  case.  He  was  employed 
to  prosecute  a  man  for  stealing  some  money.  Proof  was  wanting  and  the 
accused  likely  to  get  clear,  when  young  Caton  noticed  a  lump  on  the 
side  of  the  fellow's  leg  inside  his  stocking.  He  seized  it — and  held  fast 
until  it  was  exposed,  and  the  identical  roll  of  stolen  bills  came  out,  from 
which  he  took  $10  as  his  fee,  and  handed  the  rest  to  the  loser. 


SIDE    BRAKE    KIKE    ENGINIi. 


FAIRL  Y  LA  UNCHED. 


'53 


In  1835  the  first  county  court  house  (brick,  one  story  and  basement) 
was  built  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  Court  House  square,  southwest 
corner  of  Clark  and  Randolph  streets.* 

May  12,  1836,  the  sloop  Clarissa,  the  first  Chicago  built  vessel,  was 
launched  amid  great  excitement.  Her  builder  was  Nelson  R.  Norton 
(ar.  1833),  who  has  already  been  mentioned  as  builder  of  the  first  draw- 
bridge, the  "lifting  leaves,"  at  Dearborn  street.  The  arrivals  and  ton- 
nage of  shipping  were  as  follows:  In  1833,  4  vessels,  700  tons;  in  1835, 
250  vessels,  22,500  tons;  in  1836,  456  vessels,  58,000  tons;  1890,  10,507 
vessels,  5,138,253  tons. 


Launch  of  the 
Clarissa. 


-:-^:_^ 

THE    FIRST    COURT-HOUSE. 

The  total  taxes  collected  for  1836  were  $11,659.54;  for  1837, 
$5-905-I5  I  for  1838,  $8,849.86;  for  1839,  $4,664.55;  for  1840,  $4,721.85. 

The  population  of  the  city  grew  as  follows:  1830,  50;  1831,  100; 
1832,  200;  1833,  350;  1834,  2,000;  1835,  3.265;  1836,  3,820;  1837, 
4,179;  1838,4,000;  1839,4,200;  1840,4,470;  1890,  1,098.570. 

The  exports  and  imports  by 'lake  were  as  follows: 


Exports. 

Imports. 

1836.  . 

$1.000.64 

$      325.2O1  QO 

1837  

11,065.00 

373,677.12 

1838.  . 

16.04.4.71; 

C70.  17461 

1830.  . 

33.  843.00 

630.980  26 

l84O  .  , 

228.  631;.  74 

562,  106  20 

*  The  question  has  been  seriously  raised  whether  the  county,  having  received  that  block  for  county  purposes,  had 
any  right  or  power  to  alienate  the  west  half  of  it  to  the  city,  as  it  has  done,  for  city  purposes.  Some  citizen  of  the  county 
outside  the  city  might  apply  for  a  writ  of  ejectment,  and  demand  that  the  city  should  either  pay  rent  or  move  its  build- 
ing off.  But  possession  is  nine  points  in  the  law,  and  identity  of  interests  would  be  likely,  in  the  view  of  the  courts,  to 
give  the  city  the  tenth. 


154 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


Garrison  finally 
withdrawn. 


The  "American,"  on  July  9,  1836,  calls  attention  to  a  pool  of  water 
at  Lake  and  La  Salle  streets,  inhabited  by  frogs.  "  It  smells  strong 
now,  and  in  a  few  days  will  send  out  a  horrible  stench."  This  spot  is 
now  (1891)  directly  over  the  south  entrance  to  the  La  Salle  street  tun- 
nel ;  consequently  some  thirty  feet  over  the  heads  of  the  thousands  of 
cable-car  passengers  who  daily  pass  and  repass  between  the  North  and 
South  sides. 

During  all  this  decade,  no  system  of  street  numbering  was  in  use. 

In  October,  1836,  the  Town  Trustees  met  with  delegates  from  the 

three  districts  to  take  measures  for  organizing  the  City  of  Chicago.     A 

committee  was  appointed  to  draft  a  charter  which  was  adopted  by  the 

citizens,  was  passed  by  the  State 
Legislature  and  approved  March  4, 
1837.  Under  this  charter  the  elec- 
tion was  held  and  William  B. 
Ogden  elected  Mayor.  There  were 
six  wards,  and  the  aldermen  elected 
were  Goodhue,  Hogan,  Caton, 
Pierce,  Ward  and  Jackson.  Nor- 
man B.  Judd  was  elected  city  attor- 
ney. The  whole  number  of  votes 
cast  at  this  election  was  709. 

On  December  29,  1836,  the 
garrison  was  finally  withdrawn  from 
Fort  Dearborn,  and  after  its  thirty- 
three  years  of  stirring  vicissitude  it 
passed  into  a  useless  old  age  which 
lasted  a  score  of  years  before  its 
abandonment  as  a  Government  pos- 
session. In  fact  one  of  its  build- 
ings— a  great, barn-like, wooden  hos- 
pital— was  standing,  in  use  as  a  storage  warehouse,  up  to  1871,  when  the 
Great  Fire  obliterated  it  with  nearly  all  else  that  was  ancient  in  Chicago. 
An  exception  to  this  destruction  and  to  the  fast  gathering  cloud  of 
oblivion,  is  to  be  found  in  an  old  red  granite  boulder,  with  a  rude  human 
face  carved  on  it,  which  stood  in  the  center  of  the  fort  esplanade,  and 
which  is  now  (1891 )  one  of  our  few  antiquarian  treasures.  It  is  nearly 
eight  feet  high  by  three  feet  in  greatest  diameter  and  weighs  perhaps 
4,000  pounds.  In  prehistoric  times  the  Indians  used  its  concave  topfora 
corn  mill,  and  for  many,  many  weary  hours  must  the  patient  and  long- 
suffering  squaws  have  leaned  over  it  crushing  the  scanty,  flinty  corn  of 
those  days  into  material  for  the  food  of  braves  and  pappooses. 


NORMAN    B     JUDD 


FAIRL  Y  LA  UNCHED. 


'55 


Many  persons  have  looked  on  it  as  a  relic  of  prehistoric  art — the  sacri- 
ficial stone  of  an  Aztec  teocalli  perhaps — but  Mr.  Hurlbut  gives  the  cold 
truth;  more  modern  though  scarcely  less  romantic.  He  says  it  was  set  up 
in  the  fort,  and  soldiers,  sick  and  well,  used  it  as  a  lounging  place.  Some- 
times it  served  as  a  pillory  for  disorderly  characters,  and  it  was  a  com- 
mon expression  or  threat  that  for  some  offences  the  offender  would 
"be  sent  to  the*  rock."  Waubansa  was  a  Chicago  Chief,  and  a  soldier 
sculptor  tried  to  depict  his  features  on  the  stone  ;  and  (to  quote  Mr. 
Hurlbut): 

The  portrait  pleased  the  Indians,  the  liege  friends  of  the  chief,  greatly,  for  a  party  of  them, 
admitted  within  the  stockade  to  see  it,  whooped  and  leaped  as  if  they  had  achieved  a  victory  ;  and 
with  uncouth  gestures  they  danced  in  a  triumphant  circle  around  the  rock. 

In  1837  .... 
Daniel  Webster  paid  a 
visit  to  the  West  and 
took  Chicago  in  his 

route The 

conveyance  was  a  ba- 
rouche with  four  ele- 
gant creams  attached. 
Mr.  Webster  was  ac- 
companied by  his 
daughter  and  son. 
Every  wheel-vehicle, 
every  horse  and  mule 
in  town,  it  is  said,  were 
in  requisition  that  day, 
and  the  senator  was 
met  some  miles  out  by 
a  numerous  delegation 
from  this  the  ne~v  city, 
who  joined  in  the  pro- 
cession ....  It 
was  the  Fourth  of  July . 
the  column  came  over 

Randolph  street  bridge,  and  thence  to  the  parade  ground  within  the  fort.  There  were  guns 
at  the  fort  which  were  eloquent,  of  course,  though  the  soldiers  had  left  some  weeks  before. 
The  foundation  of  all  this  outcry  about  Mr.  Webster  is,  that  the  base  and  platform  upon 
which  that  gentleman  stood  when  he  made  the  speech  within  the  fort  was  the  rock,  the  same  Wau- 
bansa stone Justin  Butterfield  (who  stood  directly  in  front  of  the  senator)  swung  his  hat 

and  cheered  the  speaker. 

The  "statue"  was  pierced  to  form  the  base  of  a  fountain,  and  was 
set  up  as  one  of  the  curiosities  of  the  great  Sanitary  Commission  fair, 
held  in  1865,  in  Dearborn  Park,  in  aid  of  the  sick  and  wounded  in  the 
war  for  the  Union.  In  1866  it  was  adopted  as  a  relic  by  the  Hon. 
Isaac  N.  Arnold — member  of  Congress  during  the  war,  and  one  of  the 
staunchest  and  ablest  of  patriots  and  most  devoted  of  friends  to  the 
soldiers — who  moved  it  to  his  house  in  Erie  street.  Mr.  Arnold's 
home  was  burned  with  the  rest  in  the  Great  Fire  of  1871,  and  old 
"Waubansa"  passed  through  the  flames  with  the  same  unmoved 
look  which  he  had  preserved  through  his  earlier  vicissitudes.  After- 


WAVBANSA    STONE. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Bogus  Towns 
and  Cities. 


ward  a  lot  of  "fire  relics"  were  grouped  about  him  and  a  photograph 
taken,  wherein,  for  the  first  time,  he  looks  abashed  as  if  conscious  of  the 
contrast  between  his  uncouthness  and  the  carvings  which  surround  his 
ancient  lineaments.  The  stone  stands  open  to  public  view  in  the 
grounds  adjoining  the  new  home  (100  Pine  street,  North  Side)  which 
Mr.  Arnold  built  after  the  fire,  and  in  which  he  lived  up  to  the  time 
of  his  lamented  death  in  April,  1884.  (Only  the  lack* of  space,  which 
excludes  individual  biographies,  prevents  the  giving  of  a  life  of  this 
great  and  good  man. ) 


To    "blow 


least 


two  meanings:  to  inflate,  and  to 
explode.  (Falstaff  says,  "A 
Plague  of  sighing  and  grief  !  It 
blows  a  man  up  like  a  bladder.") 
It  was  Chicago's  fate  in  about 
those  days  to  be  blown  up  in 
both  senses  of  the  word.  The 
process  of  inflation  is  interesting, 
and  would  be  amusing  if  it  were 
not  that  explosion  follows  on 
inflation  as  effect  on  cause. 

The  great  gift  of  land  to 
help  build  the  canal,  and  the  con- 
gressional grant  of  money  to 
open  the  harbor,  caused  an  influx 
of  ready  cash,  while  the  fact  that 
there  was  to  be  a  canal  and  a  har- 
bor indicated  (in  a  faint  degree) 
the  coming  value  of  the  location.  Therefore  Chicago's  inflation  had  a 
better  basis  of  actual  value  than  had  nine-tenths  of  the  "  paper  cities" 
which  sprang  up  on  all  sides  in  the  drunken  days  of  1835  an^  1836. 
Thousands  of  lots  in  "cities"  which  had  never  been  surveyed,  were 
sold  to  people  who  had  never  been  within  a  thousand  miles  of  the 
locality.  Fifteen  town  sites  were  advertised  in  a  single  number  of  the 
Chicago  "  American,"  of  which  many  of  the  names  are  unknown  to-day, 
and  the  sites  (if  real)  are  still  in  a  state  of  nature. 

When  such  follies  were  prevalent,  how  much  more  excusable  were 
the  vagaries  of  Chicago,  which  had,  as  time  has  proved,  a  basis  of  solid 
value  ? 

In  1830,  lots  in  the  "  original  town"  (Canal  Trustee's  first  subdi- 
vision) were  sold  at  from  $25  to  $iooeach.  Alexander  Wolcott  bought 
eighty  acres  bounded  by  Chicago  avenue,  State  street,  Kinzie  street  and 


BENJAMIN   W.  RAYMOND, 
Builder  of  First  Fire-proof  Store. 


FAIRL  Y  LA  UNCHED. 


'57 


the  North  Branch  at  $1.25  an  acre  ;  and  a  year  or  so  later,  Robert  A. 
Kihzie  bought  "  Kinzie's  Addition"  (Chicago  avenue  to  Kinzie  street, 
between  State  street  and  the  Lake)  at  the  same  rate. 

The  first  lots  sold  in  the  original  town,  after  being  for  two  or  three 
years  tossed  from  hand  to  hand  by  luckless  owners — bought  and  sold 
and  "swapped"  like  Indian  ponies — suddenly  arose  (as  Captain 
Andreas  says)  to  the  dignity  of  realty.  Bought  at  $60  to-day  they 
bring  $80  to-morrow  and  $100  the  day  after,  while  to  our  backward 
glance  they  were  even  then  worth  thousands  !  Of  the  Tremont  House 
lot  (southeast  corner  of  Lake  and 
Dearborn  streets)  Mr.  J.  D.  Bon- 
nell,  in  a  letter  to  the  "  Times," 
dated  March  15, 1876,  says  that  one 
may  hear  varying  stories  as  to  the 
prices  at  which  it  might  have  been 
bought ;  for  instance  :  A  cord  of 
wood,  that  means  1831;  a  pair  of 
boots,  that  means  1832  ;  a  barrel  of 
whisky,  that  means  1833;  a  yoke  of 
steers  and  a  barrel  of  flour,  that 
means  1834;  five  hundred  dollars, 
that  means  1835 ;  five  thousand 
dollars,  that  means  1836  or  1837. 
Mr.  Bonnell  doubtless  states  the 
case  in  caricature,  for  no  lot  in  the 
original  town  was  sold  by  the  canal 
trustees  for  any  such  trivial  sums. 
An  extreme  case  is  that  of  the  "  Opera  House  Block"  lot,  southwest 
corner  of  Clark  and  Washington  streets,  of  which  a  deed,  dated  June  14, 
1832,  is  still  in  existence,  showing  its  sale  for  $61.  Still,  Mr.  Bonnell's 
price  for  the  Tremont  corner  in  1831  is  not  much  further  out  of  the  way 
than  it  is  in  1835,  1836  and  1837  ;  the  last  must  be  multiplied  by  five, 
and  so  must  the  first;  for  J.  B.  Beaubien,  at  the  sale  of  1830,  bought 
the  property  (two  lots  160  feet  square),  with  eight  other  lots,  for 
$346  ;  an  average  of  $38.44  per  lot,  or  $76.88  for  the  two. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  some  Chicago  lots  were  run  up,  in  1836, 
to  a  price  higher  than  they  would  bring  to-day;  but  the  facts  scarcely 
bear  out  that  extravagance.  Father  St.  Cyr  wrote  to  Mr.  Wentworth 
in  1880  that  the  lot  on  Lake  street  west  of  State  promised  him  for  the 
Catholic  Church  in  1833  for  $200  was  sold  in  1834  for  $300,  to  Dr. 
Egan,  who,  in  1836,  sold  it  to  Eastern  speculators  for  $60,000.  The 

*  Indian  word  for  exchanged. 


JASON    GURLEY, 
Landlord  of  the  Mansion  House. 


Tradil 
lots: 


unal  city 
.les. 


158  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

lot  was  80  by  150  feet,  and,  supposing  the  reverend  father  to  have  been 

correctly  informed,  and  the  price  named  to  have  been  the  "  top  notch," 

the  sum  falls  still  below  present  values. 

In    1834  the  dropsical   disease  was  firmly  seated  and  land  agents 

were  plenty.     In  1835  the  Government  land  sales  aggravated  the  malady. 

Those  sales  went  on  as  follows  : 

May  28  to  June  30,  sales  under  pre-emption 8  33,067 

June  15  to  June  30,  public  sale,  John  Bates,  auctioneer 354,278 

August  3  to  August  31,  private  sales 61,958 

September  17  to  September  30,  private  sales 10,655 

Total *4S9,958 

The  "Chicago  American,"  August  15,  1835,  reports  sales  of  fractional  Block 
No.  7  (Kinzie,  Kingsbury  &  North  Branch):    In  June,  for  $1,300;  on  August  i  for 
$1,950.     Of  Lot  i,  Block  2  (southwest  corner  of  Dearborn  and  North   Water):    In 
June,  $5,000;  in  August,  $10,000.      Lot  8,  Block   16   (northwest  corner  of  State  and 
Lake  streets):     In  June,  $420;  in  August,  $700. 

Skipping  the  convulsive  leaps  meanwhile,  the  lots  of  1830,  1831, 
etc.,  sold  in  1836  thus: 

Fifty  feet  front  on  South  Water  street,  by  150  on  Dearborn, 
brought  $25,000.  Captain  Andreas  quotes  from  the  "American" 
Pro  ressofthe  (April,  1836):  " There  is  a  piece  of  land  in  Chicago  costing  $62  in 
1830,  which  has  risen  in  value  one  hundred  per  cent,  per  day.  It  was 
sold  last  week  for  $96,700.  one-quarter  down  and  the  remainder  in  six, 
twelve  and  eighteen  months,  at  ten  per  cent."  Charles  Butler,  of  New 
York,  in  a  later  issue  of  the  same  paper,  says: 

In  1833,  one  quarter  of  Kinzie's  addition  was  offered  for  $5,500,  worth  then  $100,000.  In 
1833.  forty  acres  of  land  worth  $400  could  not  be  purchased  in  1836  for  less  than  $200,000.  In 
1834  the  "  Hunter  property  "  was  purchased  for  $20.000.  In  the  spring  of  1835  it  was  resold  for 
$100.000.  It  is  now  (September,  1836)  worth  $500,000. 

The  Government  land  office  had  been  opened  here  in  1835;  sales, 
370,000  acres;  in  1836,  202,000;  in  1837,  15,600.  It  never,  up  to  its 
close  in  1846,  had  a  single  year  equal  to  1835. 

Lots  and  lands  were  sold  at  auction  by  Augustus  Garrett,  who 
announced  on  October  27th,  1835,  that  he  had  sold,  since  January  4th, 
$1,800,000  of  real  and  personal  property. 

Ex-Lieutenant  Governor  William  Bross,  in  his  History  of  Chicago, 
gives  a  table  showing  the  first  sales  of  lots  (1830)  and  the  prices  they 
brought;  adding  a  column  giving  a  careful  estimate  of  the  value  of  the 
same  lots  in  1853  when  he  wrote.  Part  of  that  statement  is  herewith  pre- 
sented, with  the  addition  of  columns  showing  frontage  and  location, 
and  a  rough  estimate  of  present  (1891)  value : 


excitement. 


FAIRL  Y  LA  UNCHED. 


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i6o 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Balestier's  Lec- 
ture on  these 
times. 


One  of  our  very  few  and  very  precious  scraps  of  local  personal  tes- 
timony half  a  century  old,  is  the  address  of  Joseph  N.  Balestier  (a  con- 
nection of  the  Kinzie  family)  delivered  in  the  "Saloon  Building" 
before  the  "Chicago  Lyceum,"  January  21,  1840,  whereof  a  copy  for 
publication  was  asked  by  Grant  Goodrich,  William  B.  Ogden,  Sidney 
Sawyer,  Mark  Skinner,  David  Hunter  and  John  S.  Wright.  The  lec- 
ture survived  the  vicissitudes  of  time  and  fire  in  a  curious  manner.  An 
article  in  the  Chicago  "Tribune"  of  November  25,  1872,  gives  the  circum- 
stances as  follows*: 

The  bosoms  of  the  auditory  fluttered  with  honest  pride  as  young  Balestier  went  through  his 
manuscript  and  held  the  mirror  up  to  the  struggling,  forlorn,  but  hopeful  Garden  City.  ...  It  was 
neatly  enough  brought  into  typography  by  Edward  Rudd,  and,  with  the  not  unbecoming  self-satis- 
faction of  an  author  so  honored,  Balestier  took  a 
fair  copy,  wrote  on  the  margin  of  the  title  page 
a  pleasant  note  to  General  George  P.  Morris,  of 
the  New  York  "Mirror,"  asking  his  acceptance 
of  the  small  brochure  "from  one  of  his  corres- 
pondents." 

The  little  pamphlet  had  a  mail  journey  of 
three  weeks  before  the  great  New  York  editor 
turned  over  its  modest  pages,  with  much  the 
same  feeling,  probably,  with  which  a  New  York 
journalist  of  to-day  would  glance  at  the  cheaply- 
printed,  cheerful  chirpings  of  a  local  lyceum  lec- 
ture at  Sitka.  This  identical  copy,  so  addressed, 
drifted  back  again  beyond  the  lakes,  to  be  stitched 
into  a  bound  volume  in  the  State  Library  of 
Wisconsin,  where  a  summer  rambler  among  the 
interior  lakes  of  our  sister  State  came  across  it 
the  other  day. 

'  Mr.  Balestier  says  that  in  1835 
the  cities  of  the  East  were  visited 
with  an  epidemic  madness.  It  was 
suddenly  discovered  that  the  Amer- 
ican people  had  labored  under  serious  misapprehension  regarding  the 
value  of  land,  especially  that  which  lay  in  cities  and  villages.  The 
price  of  real  property  rose  a  hundred  or  a  thousand-fold.  Paper  cities 
flourished,  and  the  public  mind  became  utterly  diseased. 

This  unwholesome  spirit  was  confined  to  no  classes.  It  extended  into  every  walk  of  life.  The 
farmer  forsook  the  plow  and  became  a  speculator  upon  the  soil  instead  of  a  producer  from  beneath 
the  sod.  The  mechanic  laid  aside  his  tools  and  resolved  to  grow  rich  without  labor.  The  lawyer 
sold  his  books  and  invested  the  proceeds  in  land.  The  physician  "threw  physic  to  the  dogs,"  and 
wrote  promissory  notes  instead  of  prescriptions.  Even  the  day  laborer  became  learned  in  the  mys- 
teries of  quit-claim  and  warranty,  and  calculated  his  fortune  by  thousands. 

When  the  mass  of  the  community  thus  abandoned  or  neglected  their  proper  pursuits,  it  may 
readily  be  assumed  that  the  ignoble  few  who  were  willing  to  work  received  an  ample  reward  for 
their  pains.  The  price  of  labor  was  exorbitant;  the  simplest  service  was  purchased  at  a  dear  rate. 
Even  the  barbers,  who,  since  the  days  of  Abraham,  had  shaved  for  sixpence,  discovered  that  they 
had  been  working  at  half  price.  The  great  increase  of  consumers  and  the  proportionate  decrease 
of  producers  rendered  the  price  of  provisions-enormous.  .  .  .  Credit,  reckless  and  indiscrimi- 

»For  this  article,  the  lecture  itself  and  other  interesting  matters  connected  therewith,  see  Fergus'  Historica 
Series,  No.  i. 


GEO.    F.  FOSTER, 
Sail  Loft,  North  Water  Street. 


FAIRLY  LAUNCHED. 


161 


nate,  was  the  master  principle  of  those  wild  and  maddening  days.  .  .  .  Already  had  the  banks, 
which  greatly  multiplied  at  this  period,  issued  sufficient  paper  promises  to  create  a  spirit  of  wild 
extravagance;  but  the  property  of  the  country  rose  too  rapidly  to  be  represented  by  an  inflated 
bank-note  circulation.  Individuals,  in  humble  imitation  of  the  banks,  issued  their  notes  without 
stint  or  limit.  ...  If  old-established  communities  were  thus  frightened  from  their  propriety, 
it  can  scarcely  be  supposed  that  the  rising  village  of  Chicago  should  escape  the  contagion. 
The  wonder,  then,  is,  not  that  we  speculated  so  much,  but  rather  that  we  did  not  rush  more  madly 
into  the  vortex  of  ruin.  .  .  .  Here,  at  least,  there  was  something  received  in  exchange  for  the 
money  of  the  purchaser.  But  the  few  miles  that  composed  Chicago  formed  but  a  small  item  among 
the  subjects  of  speculation.  The  prairies  of  Illinois,  the  forests  of  Wisconsin  and  the  sand  hills  of 
Michigan  presented  a  chain  almost  unbroken  of  supposititious  cities  and  villages.  The  whole  land 
seemed  staked  out  and  peopled  on  paper.  .  .  .  Not  the  puniest  brook  on  the  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan  was  suffered  to  remain  without  a  city  at  its  mouth,  and  whoever  will  travel  around  that 
lake  shall  find  many  a  mighty  mart  staked  out  in  spots  suitable  only  for  the  habitations  of  wild 
beasts. 

This  picturesque    language  _„.••  ~  •;  •. 

becomes  of  redoubled  interest 
when  we  reflect  that  it  was  uttered 
only  five  years  after  the  occur- 
rences described.  As  "Mr.  Bales- 
tier  spoke  the  words,  one  might 
readily  have  found  the  town- 
sites  he  described,  the  long  rows 
of  lot  stakes  standing  stark  in 
their  lonely  desolation. 

In  1836  and  1837  the  Illinois 
legislature,  carried  away  by  the 
spirit  of  the  age,  entered  on  a  sys- 
tem of  "public  improvements;" 
canals,  railways,  turnpikes,  etc., 
which  was  perhaps  the  craziest 
exploit  of  even  that  crazy  time.  Bonds  were  voted  and  sold,  railroads  loca- 
ted and  begun,  and  other  wild  things  done;  all  a  full  generation  in  advance 
of  the  needs  of  commerce  and  the.  ability  of  finance.  Abraham  Lincoln, 
then  a  member  of  the  legislature,  in  spite  of  all  the  native  common 
sense  he  afterward  showed,  was  not  too  shrewd  to  be  taken  in  by  the 
transparent  folly  ;  he  was  not  only  a  party  to  the  movement,  but  an 
enthusiastic  leader  in  it.  This  was  really  after  the  general  "  craze  "  had 
nearly  culminated  ;  and,  though  it  seemed  an  effort  to  make  up  for  lost 
time,  still  its  reign  was  so  short  as  to  be,  though  positively  disastrous, 
yet  harmless  compared  to  what  might  have  been  its  results  if  begun 
earlier.  Suppose  the  State  bonds  to  have  been  voted  in  1835  instead  of 
January,  1837,  the  millions  which  would  have  found  a  market  would 
perhaps  have  been  either  finally  repudiated,  or  have  remained  a  burden 
to  this  day  ;  when,  in  fact,  Illinois  is  quite  out  of  debt.  At  the  same 
time  the  melancholy  wrecks  that  mark  that  old  error,  instead  of  being 


CHARLES  N.   HOI.DEN, 

"  Red  Log  Grocery,"  South  Water  Street. 


Foolish 
Legis 


State 

lation. 


Z62 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


few  and  scattered,  would  have  covered  the  State.  Having  in  it  all  ele- 
ments of  failure,  the  sooner  the  whole  scheme  failed  the  better. 

The  Milwaukee  "Advertiser,"  of  June  14,  1836,  gives  a  reported 
conversation  between  two  Chicago  men  :  "  What  did  you  give  for  your 
portrait ? "  "I  gave  twenty-five  dollars  for  it,  and  have  been  offered 
fifty  already." 

The  balloon  was  certainly  "  blown  up"  in  the  first  sense,  and  about 
ready  to  be  "  blown  up"  in  the  second. 


INSIMF.   OF   OLD    FORT        LAKE    HOUSF.   IN    THF.   DISTANCE. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


THE  HARD  TIMES  OF    1837-40. 

HAT  goes  up  must  come  down,  sooner  or 
later,  according  as  it  is  built  solidly  or  flim- 
sily.  An  Eastern  proverb  says  that  "the 
arch  never  rests,"  even  the  vaulted  stone 
goes  always  down,  down  till  it  finds  earth- 
level  again how  much  more  the  bubble 

or  the  house  of  cards  ! 

Many  panics,  depressing  and  disas- 
trous, have  swept  over  our  land;  never  one 
so  wide-spread,  so  complete,  so  terrible  as 
that  of  1837.  Some  have  been  merely 
financial,  or  industrial,  or  commercial;  but 
this  "  squeeze,"  for  various  reasons,  reached 
every  branch  of  every  business.  In  the 
East,  Jackson's  withdrawal  of  the  Govern- 
ment deposits  from  the  United  States  Bank  caused  (or  rather  precipi- 
tated) its  failure,  and  that  great  collapse  dragged  down  every  public 
banking  institution  within  its  influence.  In  the  whole  West  a  season 
of  prolonged  drought  brought  even  the  tillers  of  the  virgin  soil  to 
actual  want,  and  a  huge  speculation  in  public  lands  fell  in  ruins  with 
the  depression  of  agriculture.  In  Illinois,  a  system  of  public  works 
based  on  public  debt  had  been  instituted  which  contemplated  (besides 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal)  the  outlay  of  $9,350,000  in  railroad 
building,  and  $850,000  in  other  things;  in  all  $10,200,000,  as  follows  : 

Railroads:          Cairo  to  Galena  (Central)  $3,500,000 

Alton  to  Mt.  Carmel  1,600,000 

Northern  Cross  1,800,000 

Branch  of  the  Central  to  Terre  Haute  650,000 

"                                 Alton  600,000 

Peoria  to  Warsaw  700,000 

Belleville  to  Mt.  Carmel  150,000 

Bloomington  to  Mackinawtown  350,000 

Great  Western  Mail  Route  (highway)  250,000 

Improvement  of  the  Wabash,  Illinois,  Rock,  Little  Wabash,  &  Kaskaskia  rivers         400,000 

To  counties  in  lieu  of  railroads  and  canals             •  200,000 

To  show  how  universal  was  the  craze,  it  should  be  noticed  that 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  (Democrat)  framed  and  introduced  the  bill; 
Abraham  Lincoln  (Whig)  supported  it;  and  when  Governor  Duncan 
(Whig)  wisely  vetoed  the  measure,  both  houses  passed  it  over  his  veto, 

183 


Legislative 
scheme  of 
Public  Im- 
provements. 


164 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  total  length  of  railway  proposed  was  1,341  miles,  a  point  only 
reached  just  about  twenty  years  later,  1857.  But  the  projectors  were 
not  only  twenty  years  too  soon  in  their  plan  ;  they  were  also  all  wrong 
as  to  their  method,  that  of  State  construction  and  ownership.  Governor 


Duncan,  in  his  message  of  1835.  used  the  wise  words:  "  1  would  most 
respectfully  suggest  the  propriety  of  leaving  all  such  works,  wherein  it 
can  be  done  consistently  with  the  general  interest,  to  individual  enter- 
prise ;  "  which  advice,  Judge  Moses  truly  observes,  had  it  been  .heeded, 
would  have  been  the  means  of  averting  manv  serious  evils  which  after- 


THE   HARD    TJMES   OF  1837-40.  ,65 

ward  befell  the  State.  Governor  Duncan  suffered  the  fate  usually 
awaiting  the  man  who  is  right  when  the  rest  of  the  world  is  wrong.  In 
the  next  election  for  Governor  his  name  was  not  even  mentioned,  and 
when  he  did  become  again  a  candidate  (in  1842)  he  was  defeated.  The 
public  often  admits  itself  to  have  been  mistaken,  but  seldom  forgives 
the  man  who  has  convicted  it  of  its  mistake. 

It  will  be  observed  that  all  plans  for  railways  were  conceived  in  the 
view  of  local  convenience,  the  idea  of  through  lines  not  having  yet  taken 
root.     So  thoroughly  was  this  the  case  that  counties  through  which  no 
road  or  canal  was  to  pass  were  to  be  appeased  by  an  appropriation  of 
money.     A  separate  act  aimed  at  the  completion  of  the  canal,  authoriz- 
ing the  sale  of  $1,000,000  worth  of.  canal 
lands  and  an  additional    loan  of  $500,000. 
The  capital  of  the  State  bank  was  increased 
to  $2,000,000,  and  that  of  the  Bank  of  Shaw- 
neetown  to  $1,400,000.      Then,  says  Judge 
Moses,  in  his  excellent  History  of  Illinois: 

The  legislature  adjourned  March  6,  amid  the  plaudits 
of  a  grateful  constituency.  Only  the  so-called  misguided  and 
narrow-minded  minority  were  received  with  coldness  and 
made  the  subjects  of  public  censure.  The  adjournment  was 
followed  by  an  era  of  speculation.  There  was  about  to  be 
realized  in  rich  fruition  the  rose-colored  future  of  prosperity 
depicted  by  the  governor  in  his  message  of  1835,  in  which  he 
alluded  to  railroads  and  canals  "bearing  with  seeming 
triumph  the  rich  productions  of  the  interior  to  the  rivers, 

lakes  and  ocean,  and  almost  annihilating  time,  burthen  and 

STKI'HF.N    A.    DOUGLASS 

space.' 

In  1838,  the  pinch  having  come,  suspension  of  specie  payments  was 
authorized  by  law.  But  the  issue  of  irredeemable  currency  by  the  State 
banks  went  on,  and  so  did  the  "  internal  improvements,"  not  one  of 
which,  except  the  canal,  was  ever  other  than  a  bill  of  expense.  In  1830 

'  pended. 

the  State  debt  reached  $13,230,550.  Still,  at  the  same  time,  Ohio  owed 
nearly  $15,000,000;  Indiana  $14,000,000,  and  even  little  Michigan,  with 
a  population  of  only  212,276,  owed  $6.000,000!  In  1840  Illinois  had 
476,183;  and  it  was  in  that  year  —  let  all  loyal  Illinoisans  plume  them- 
selves on  this  —  in  the  midst  of  deep  financial  tribulation  and  frantic 
political  strife,  the  legislature,  without  distinction  of  party,  tried  heroic 
expedients  for  paying  interest  on  the  State  debt,  going  so  far  as  to  lay 
an  additional  tax  of  ten  cents  on  the  $100  (later  raised  to  35  cents  on 
the  $  i  oo)  for  that  express  purpose,  and  at  last  pledging  $804,000  of  pub|u. 
bonds  for  $261,500  of  cash,  (i  Moses,  443.)  Meantime  the  work  on  the  st°pped- 
internal  improvement  scheme  was  discontinued.  To  quote  Governor 
Ford's  history  of  Illinois,  "  The  channels  of  trade  had  been  obstructed, 
and  the  vitality  of  business  seemed  almost  extinct."  In  February, 


' 


166  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

1842,  the  State  Bank  and  the  Shawneetown  Bank  "exploded  with  a 
great  crash,"  leaving  more  than  $3,000,000  of  irredeemable  currency 
afloat. 

The  tide  of  immigration  ceased  to  flow  into  the  State,  and  there  could  hardly  be  found  suf- 
ficient money  to  pay  taxes.  Produce  could  not  be  sold  for  cash  at  any  price,  and  was  valuable  to 
the  owner  only  as  a  sort  of  circulating  medium  available  in  trade.  The  following  were  the  "  mar- 
ket prices"  in  Central  Illinois  for  leading  articles,  namely:  Wheat,  40  to  socents  per  bushel;  corn, 
10  to  12;  pork  $1.50  per  hundred.  It  required  forty  pounds  of  butter  (selling  at  from  5  to  8  cents 
per  pound)  to  buy  the  farmer's  wife  a  calico  dress  of  eight  yards — the  usual  size  of  the  pattern  at 
Bank> fail.  that  time — the  price  being  from  i8J|"  to  37^  cents  per  yard;  twenty-five  dozen  eggs  would  only  pur- 
chase one  dollar's  worth  of  coffee,  five  pounds.  Ten  bushels  of  corn  would  scarcely  outweigh  in 
value  eight  pounds  of  sugar,  and  the  hog  had  to  be  a  large  one  that  would  liquidate  the  price  of  a  pair 
of  boots.  Everybody  was  in  debt,  and  there  was  only  "  produce  "  to  pay  with,  at  these  starvation 
prices.  The  newspapers  were  filled  with  notices  of  bankruptcy  and  of  sales  by  trustees  and  sheriffs. 
(I  Moses,  452-3.)*  „ 

Judge  Caton,  looking  back  on  those  days,  says,  "  I  had  to  take  for 
law  fees  anything  I  could  get  in  farm  products.  I  could  buy  pork  at 
$1.50  a  hundred  pounds,  but  the  $1.50  was  very  hard  to  get." 

Governor  Ford,  elected  in  1842  as  a  Democrat,  but  essentially 
an  independent,  said  in  his  first  message  that  there  was  not  enough 
StMteT7Suaevmoney  m  tne  State  treasury  to  pay  postage  on  State  correspondence, 
and  the  postmaster  refused  credit.  Auditor's  warrants  were  selling  at 
•  50  cents  on  the  dollar;  State  bonds,  14  cents.  In  the  same  breath 
Ford  advocated  payment  of  every  dollar  of  public  debt,  and  the  com- 
pletion (on  a  diminished  scale)  of  the  canal,  Verily,  "  there  were  giants 
in  those  days." 

The  State  surrendered  to  the  banks  the  stock  in  them  which  it 
had  held,  receiving  in  return  the  bonds  which  it  had  issued  for  such 
stock,  and  the  banks  began  redeeming  their  circulating  notes  as  best 
they  might — doubtless  taking  bad  currency  in  payment  of  bad  debts — 
sS££btand  finally  retiring  and  cancelling  them  all.  The  State  debt  had  been 
reduced  by  these  means  until  on  January  i,  1845,  it  stood  as  follows: 

Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal  debt $4,741,783 

Internal  improvement,  banks  and  State  house   6,712,886 

$11,454,669 

To  this  must  be  added  accumulation  of  interest  from  July,  1841 
(the  date  of  latest  payment),  amounting  to  $2,323,199.!  The  total 
assessed  value  of  the  State's  real  estate  for  1844  was  fifty-one  millions, 
personal  property  sixteen  millions.  It  would  not  now  be  hard  to  find 
three  or  four  Chicago  men  able  to  join  hands  and  buy,  at  assessed  valu- 
ation, everything  there  was  in  the  State,  pay  its  debt,  complete  its  canal 
and  have  enough  left  to  give  their  families  three  meals  a  day  after  all. 

•The  lowest  prices  for  grain  ever  reached  in  Chicago  during  recorded  times  were  in  1843,  when  white  winter 
wheat  was  worth  but  thirty-eight  cents  per  bushel;  corn  eighteen  cents. 

t  The  sum  of  this  indebtedness,  $13,777,868,  is  just  about  the  present  total  debt  of  Chicago  (1891),  $13.545,400.  But 
the  disparity  of  assets  and  liabilities  becomes  very  glaring  when  we  compare  the  assessed  valuation  of  the  State  in  1841, 
$67,000,000,  with  that  of  Chicago  tonlay,  $219,354,368.  The  State  owed  nearly  one  dollar  in  five  of  total  valuation;  the  city 
owes  less  than  one  dollar  in  sixteen,  under  an  assessed  valuation  notoriously  inadequate. 


THE  HARD   TIMES  OF  1837-40. 


,67 


The  summer  of  1838  showed  an  accumulation  of  miseries. 
Drought — that  evil  whose  touch  is  death  in  a  farming  region — pre- 
vailed over  the  whole  West.  No  rain  fell  from  July  igth  until  Novem- 
ber. Streams  dried  up  and  springs  yielded  poor  water.  Fatal  fever 
broke  out  in  Chicago.  Work  on  the  canal  was  nearly  suspended  by  a 
strange  disease  called,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  "  canal  cholera." 
It  carried  off  its  victims  in  a  few  hours  and  many  of  the  dead  lay  along 
the  road  near  Bridgeport,  unburied  for  days  together  ;  all  the  well 
being  afraid  of  catching  and  spreading  the  deadly  epidemic. 

Judge  Blodgett  served  on  the 
canal  as  "rod  man"  in  the  engineer- 
ing force,  near  Lemont.  He  says 
this  disease  was  like  yellow  fever, 
and  came  from  the  malarious  ex- 
halations of  the  upturned  soil,  the 
hard  work  in  the  hot  sun,  and  the 
unwholesome  living  on  pork  and 
poor  bread.  Work"  began  at  half- 
past  six  in  the  morning,  at  ten  a 
pail  of  whiskey  was  passed  and 
each  man  given  a  "jigger"  from  a 
tin  cup.  At  noon  an  hour  was 
allowed  for  dinner,  at  three  or  four 
another  "jigger"  was  served,  and 
work  stopped  at  six.  The  fever 
victims  would  be  seized  with  black 
vomit  at  night  and  die  next  morn- 
ing, and  they  would  bury  them  as 
soon  as  might  be.  There  was  but 
little  drinking,  except  the  "jig- 
gers," and  he  never  heard  of  any  unburied  dead. 

The  writer,  a  resident  of  Michigan  in  1840,  remembers  the  distress, 
the  utter  absence  of  specie,  the  prevalence  of  the  worthless  "  Michigan 
money  "  (dreadfully  scarce,  poor  as  it  was)  ;  the  feeling  deepseated  in 
a  small  boy's  hea,rt,  that  "hard  times  "were  the  natural  state  of  man 
and  that  anything  else  must  be  a  delusion,  foolish,  insane,  temporary 
and  evanescent.  He  even  remembers  a  political  caricature  used  in  the 
Harrison  campaign  of  1840  to  show  the  consequences  of  the  Demo- 
cratic ("  Locofoco")  rule  of  Jackson  and  Van  Buren.  It  displayed  a 
mass  of  struggling,  poverty-stricken  wretches  standing  in  Wall  street 
while  one  building  showed  the  legend,  "  Bank.  No  specie  payments 
made  here;" another,  "Custom  house.  Nothing  but  specie  taken  here." 


Canal  cholera. 


JUDGE   BLODGETT. 


Personal 
reminiscences. 


i6S  THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 

The  "  Michigan  currency"  went  by  the  epithets — opprobrious  and 

appropriate — of  "  red-dog,"  "wild-cat,"  "  shinplasters,"  etc.      It  is  said 

Red-dog,-     that  a  certain  man,  having  this  money  offered  to  him,  exclaimed  :  "  Oh 

"Wild-cat"  ,  .  .    .  .         ^         T  f  ,  . 

see  here !  can  t  you  give  me  something  else  ?     if  you  ve  got  any  good 
Eastern  counterfeits,  I'd  rather  have  them  !" 

Turning  now  to  Chicago,  how  did  she  stand  the  pressure  of  ill 
luck  ?  There  was  plenty  of  it.  As  Mr.  Balestier  says  : 

The  professional  speculator  and  his  victims  were  swallowed  up  in  one  common  ruin.  Trust- 
ing to  the  large  sums  due  to  him,  the  land  operator  involved  himself  more  and  more  deeply,  until 
his  fate  was  more  pitiable  than  that  of  his  defrauded  dupes.  The  year  1837  will  ever  be  remem- 
bered as  the. era  of  protested  notes;  it  was  the  harvest  to  the  notary  and  to  the  lawyer,  the  year  of 
wrath  to  the  mercantile,  producing  and  laboring  interests.  Misery  inscribed  its  name  on  many  a 
face  lately  radiant  with  high  hopes;  despair  was  stamped  on  many  a  countenance  which  was  wont 
to  be  wreathed  in  smiles.  Broken  fortunes,  blasted  hopes,  aye,  and  blighted  characters;  these  were 
the  legitimate  offspring  of  those  pestilent  times.  The  land  resounded  with  the  groans  of  ruined 
men  and  the  sobs  of  defrauded  women  who  had  entrusted  their  all  to  greedy  speculators. 
It  was  a  scene  of  woe  and  desolation.  Temporary  relief  came  in  the  shape  of  Michigan  money — 
but,  like  all  empty  expedients,  it,  in  the  end,  aggravated  the  disease  it  pretended  to  cure. 
Let  us  turh  from  this  sickening  spectacle  of  disaster  and  ruin.  Mad  as  her  citizens  had  been.  Chi- 
cago was  Chicago  still.  Artificial  enterprises  had  failed,  but  nature  was  still  the  same. 

Professor  Colbert,  in  his  history  of  Chicago  (p.  21),  says: 

When  the  crash  came  in  the  autumn  of  1837  the  selling  value  of  real  estate  fell  almost  to  zero. 
For  three  or  four  years  it  was  scarcely  possible  to  realize  anything  on  so-called  property  and  not 
till  after  1842  was  there  a  sign  of  recovery.  In  1841  sale  was  made  of  a  number  of  lots  on  the  east 
side  of  Michigan  avenue,  between  South  Water  and  Randolph  streets,  the  average  price  being  five 
dollars  per  front  foot. 

In  the  Chicago  Magazine  for  April,  1857  (p.  139),  we  read  that  in 
1839,  at  the  sale  of  the  Fort  Dearborn  land,  lots  on  Michigan  avenue 
sold  still  lower  than  those  above  named  ;  going  at  $5 1  for  48  feet. 

John  S.  Wright,  an  excellent  citizen  and  conservative  man,  said  in 
after  years:  "  By  1840  my  property  had  all  gone.  What  had  cost  me 
$100,000  went  for  $6,000;  what  had  cost  $12,000  brought  but  $900." 

In  June,  1837,  the  City  scrip  was  issued  in  denominations  of  $i, 
$2  and  $3,  bearing  interest  at  one  per  cent,  per  annum,  receivable  for 
taxes  not  exceeding  $5,000.  At  the  same  time  some  Chicagoans  were 
sturdy  anti-inflationists,  for  J.  S.  C.  Hogan  resigned  the  office  of  Town 
Treasurer  rather  than  be  party  to  the  borrowing  by  the  town  of  $2,000. 
No  specimens  of  this  currency  are  now  known  to  exist. 

In  these  years  was  issued  the  "Canal  Scrip"  in  various  shapes 
and  forms.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  the  old  stuff  are 
in  the  vaults  of  the  Historical  society,  and  four  varieties  of  its  issues 
are  here  reproduced,  that  "old  residenters"  maybe  reminded  of  the 
aspect  of  "  money  "  which  they  were  once  so  eager  to  get  hold  of  and,  a 
little  later,  to  get  rid  of. 

The  earliest  in  date  is  August  i,  1839,  and  is  a  broad,  dignified- 
looking  bill,  reminding  one  of  the  Bank  of  England's  five-pound  note. 


various 
kinds. 


THE   HARD    TIMES  OF  1837-40. 


Its  vignette  is  a  steamboat ;  with  one  of  the  old  "  sash-frame  "  engines, 
used  before  even  the  "walking-beam"  was  introduced. 

It  is  a  ninety-day  draft  for  $100,  dated  at  Lockport,  drawn  on  the 
Branch  State  Bank  at  Chicago,  signed  by  W.  F.  Thornton,  president, 


IDGOG;  JJOOCDOGGOQ: 


tate 

,Ai!tu  •&>  me  enter  <r_ 

/attn 


IXIPOtXOOCODOGOOCPDGaOQQapaoaQOOOOQOQOaCX 

k  me 


and  registered  by  J.  Manning,  secretary.  Its  indorser  (not  shown  in 
the  cut)  was  J.  Calhoun.  Perhaps  it  was  issued  in  payment  of  a  news- 
paper bill.  The  engravers  were  Rudd  &  Childs,  of  Chicago,  and  it  is 
a  production  highly  creditable  to  the  young  village.  The  name 
"  Childs  "  is  to-day  prominent  among  Chicago  engravers. 


> 

3C 

i?* 

£ 
^ 

r 


TREASUSBR'S  Ui'KICK  OK  7 UK  ILL'-.  ^  Mir  11:  ('AXAl. 

»l«^trfstf   '*i\        t      <-i'    *  /    .         /  .-  /         /''"<.  •   f 


i  X,  ^  / 


t^r 


The  second  bill  is  a  check,  dated  at  Lockport,  October  i,  1839, 
drawn  on  the  Chicago  Bank  to  the  order  of  David  Prickett,  treasurer, 
and  signed  by  W.  F.  Thornton,  president,  and  Jacob  Fry,  acting  com- 
missioner. Its  vignette  is  doubtless  borrowed  from  the  Erie  Canal 
(then  about  eighteen  years  old),  as  it  shows  a  canal  boat  and  team 


170 


THE  STORY  OF   CHICAGO. 


Strupplinp  to 
keep  faith. 


engaged  in  passing  a  lock.  The  bill  is  severely  plain  compared  with  the 
earlier  issue.  It  bears  the  name  of  P.  A.  Mesier's  Lith.,  28  Wall  street, 
New  York.  This  is  probably  the  issue  which  Judge  Blodgett  remem- 
bers as  having  been  conterfeited — not,  however,  successfully,  for  he 
says  that  the  counterfeit  bills  were  easily  detected  because  they  were  so 
muck  better  than  the  genuine. 

Number  three  is  the  most  pretentious  of  all,  and  bears  the  name  of 
Woodruff  &  Childs,  Cincinnati.  It  is  in  a  form  resembling  a  modern 
bank  bill.  It  is  dated  at  the  office  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works, 
Springfield,  March  18,  1840,  and  directs  the  Fund  Commissioner  to 
pay  to  the  order  of  J.  Beall,  Commissioner  of  the  Board,  $100,  with 
interest  from  June  1 5,  1 840,  at  six  per  cent,  per  annum ;  signed  J .  Hogan, 
Pres't,  and  Wm.  Prentiss,  Sec'y.  Its  vignette  is  a  curiosity,  showing  as 
it  does  a  railway  train  of  the  earliest  construction.  Each  of  the  three 


, /,:•/.    <-•     <?  f  f 

nxatfaasB-i 


passenger  cars  is  in  the  semblance  of  an  old-fashioned,  curve-bottomed 
stage  coach,  set  on  a  four-wheeled  wagon  truck,  and  filled  with  passen- 
gers both  inside  and  on  top.  The  baggage  car  is  a  kind  of  barrow 
hitched  to  the  rear  of  the  train.  The  engine  is  the  most  curious  of  all, 
looking  like  a  little  stationary  boiler  (no  visible  cylinder)  perched  on  a 
slight  four-wheeled  truck  like  that  which  carries  the  passenger  cars. 
One  would  not  like  to  be  one  of  those  wayfarers  on  the  top  of  the 
coaches,  unless  the  speed  be  limited  to  three  miles  an  hour  at  the  out- 
side. On  the  left-hand  end  of  the  bill  is  old  Aquarius  with  his  urn,  and 
on  the  right  Agriculture  with  her  plow,  sheaves  and  cornucopia  of  fruits. 
The  reverse  of  the  bill  is  an  interesting  bit  of  history,  marking  a 
step  in  the  persistent  and  successful  struggle  of  our  State  to  perform 
its  promises  to  the  very  letter.  It  is  an  indorsement  reading  thus  : 

Paid  on  the  principal  of  this  scrip  seventy  40-100  dollars,  being  the  dividend  of  the  State  debt 
fund,  declared  January  ist,  1851,  $70.40.     THOMAS  H.  CAMPBELL,  Aud'r. 


THE  HARD    TIMES  OF  1837-40, 


The  latest  issue  is  dated  at  the  Lockport  office,  Sept.  22,  1840,  and 
calls  upon  the  Agency  State  Bank  of  Illinois  at  Chicago  to  pay  to  the 
order  of  David  Prickett,  $1,131.35  ;  signed  W.  F.  Thornton,  Pres't,  and 
Jacob  Fry,  Act.  Com.  The  note  is  of  severe  plainness,  a  simple  draft, 


OFFICE  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  ANO  MICHIGAN  CANAL, 


torn  out  of  a  stub-book.  It  bears  no 'evidence  of  having  been  paid 
(except  a  stamp  of  cancellation),  but  we  know  that  every  one  of  them 
was  finally  paid  in  full,  from  the  earnings  of  the  canal  and  the  sale  of 
canal  land. 

The  total  of  completed  work  under  the  "  Internal  Improvement; 
Scheme,"  after  the  expenditure  of  its  six  million  dollars,  was  only  one 
small  section  of  railroad  (connecting  Springfield  with  Meredosia  on  the 
Illinois  river),  supplied  with  two  engines  and  a  few  cars,  the  whole  cost- 
ing $1,000,000.  This  was  the  first  railroad  in  the  State,  and  was  fifty- 
eight  miles  long.  W.  K.  Ackerman,  Esq.,  in  an  excellent  and  exhaustive 
pamphlet  on  Early  Illinois  Railroads  (Fergus'  Hist.  Series  No.  23),  says: 

The  road  was  constructed  by  spiking  flat  strips  of  iron  on  long  timbers,  which  were  laid 
lengthwise  on  the  tracks,  and  which  were  kept  from  spreading  by  cross-pieces  inserted  every  five  or 
six  feet.  In  a  short  time  the  road  and  engines  needed  repairing,  and  the  engines  were  taken  off  and 
mule  teams  used  for  some  years  in  their  place.  .  .  Its  whole  income  was  insufficient  to  keep  it  in 
repair,  and  its  operation  was  abandoned  by  the  State.  The  road  was  sold  in  1847,  and  realized 
$21,500  in  State  indebtedness. 

Old  settlers  give  a  pathetic  picture  of  the  decadence  of  the  little 
line ;  an  engine  in  the  ditch,  a  few  mules  pulling  a  few  cars  through  the 
dust,  final  abandonment — loneliness,  weeds  and  cattle  tracks.  Judge 
Caton  recollects  riding,  in  1842,  over  the  road  between  Jacksonville  and 
Meredosia,  when  the  grass  was  so  heavy  over  the  rails  that  the  engine's 
driving-wheels  slipped  enough  to  retard  their  progress.  At  a  certain  small 
watercourse  the  passengers  were  fain  to  turn  out  and  dip  up  water  in 
buckets  from  the  stream,  to  fill  the  water  tank  of  the  tender. 


Utter  failure 
of  Internal 
Improvement 
scheme. 


172 


THR  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


O^den's 
firmness 


Most  of  the  rich  men  of  1835-6  went  down  before  the  storm  of 
1837.  William  B.  Ogden  was  in  straits  through  liabilities  assumed  for 
friends,  and  did  not  get  clear  of  the  trouble  until  1842-3.  His  biog- 
rapher, in  the  "Chicago  Magazine"  (p.  33),  says: 

The  first  time  we  recollect  to  have  heard  him  address  a  public  meeting  was  in  the  fall  of  1837 
while  he 'was  mayor.  Some  frightened  debtors,  assisted  by  a  few  demagogues,  had  called  a  meet- 
ing to  take  measures  to  have  the  courts  suspended.  .  .  .  They  sought  by  legislative  action,  or 
"  Relief  Laws,"  to  suspend,  for  a  season,  the  collection  of  debts.  An  inflammatory  and  ad  captan- 
dum  speech  had  been  made.  .  .  .  During  the  excitement  the  Mayor  was  called  for.  He  stepped 
forward  and  exhorted  his  fellow-citizens  not  to  commit  the  folly  of  proclaiming  their  own  dishonor. 
.  .  No  misfortune  was  so  great  as  one's  own  personal  dishonor.  .  .  .  "Above  all  things," 
said  he,  "  do  not  tarnish  the  honor  of  our  infant  city."  .  .  .  This  first  attempt  at  "  repudiating  " 
met  ...  a  rebuff  no  less  pointed  than  deserved. 


Position  c.f  Chi- 
cayo  Branch 
State  Bank. 


William  H.  Brown,  cashier  of  the  Chicago  branch  of  the  Illinois 
State  Bank,  was  another  bulwark  of  solvency.  Regarding  his  course 
the  "  Magazine  "  says: 

Everybody  was  in  a  condition  of  suffering,  and  wanted  money  with  an  intensity  that  would 
take  no  denial;  and  the  very  urgency  of  the  want  pointed  to  the  very  reason  which  made  it  unsafe 
to  accommodate  them.  .  .  .  A'o  is  not  a  popular  word  with  men  who  wish  to  borrow  money. 
.  .  .  The  Chicago  branch  suffered  with  the  rest;  for  real  estate  was  forced  upon  it  in  place  of 
money.  Yet,  in  the  aggregate,  it  was  so  managed  that  the  profit  and  loss  would  have  shown  a  bal- 
ance on  the  right  side. 

Charles  Walker  began,  in  1836,  the  business  of  bringing  from  the 
East  agricultural  and  household  implements  and  other  merchandise, 
which  he  sold  or  exchanged  for  Western  products.  In  1838  he  stood 
the  pressure  with  the  rest,  but  never  "lay  down."  He  shipped  Eastward 
what  he  received  in  exchange  for  Eastern  merchandise,  and  so  made 


THE  HARD    TIMES  OF  1837-40, 

himself  superior  to  the  vagaries  of  banking  and  currency  ;  an  expedient 
which  has  more  than  once  placed  Chicago  above  her  Eastern  contempo- 


raries.* 


B.  W.  Raymond  had  come  to  Chicago  in  1836,  and  brought  a  val- 
uable stock  of  goods,  belonging  to  himself  and  his  Eastern  partner,  S.  M. 
Dexter,  of  Oriskany,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.  In  the  autumn  of  1837 
the  firm,  besides  the  loss  of  all  its  capital,  was  $15,000  short  of  money 
enough  to  pay  its  engagements.  Nothing  daunted,  Mr.  Dexter  fur- 
nished, as  needed,  during  the  next  two  years,  $20,000  additional.  I  n  stubborn  busi. 
1843  things  had  measurably  recovered,  and  Raymond  &  Co.  sold  out 
their  merchandise,  taking  in  part  payment  sixty  feet  on  Clark  street, 
between  Lake  and  Randolph,  including  the  old  Postoffice  on  the  alley 
in  the  Sherman  House  block,  which  property  was  taken  at  $5,000  !  He 
had  already  (in  1839)  bought  the  Lake  street  lot  (now  No.  122) 
whereon  he  had  built  the  first  fire-proof  stores  in  town.  (This  was  the 
structure  which  checked  the  "great  fire"  of  that  year.)  In  the  same 
year  he  was  elected  mayor  to  succeed  William  B.  Ogden.  It  is  related 
that  he  gave  his  whole  salary  ($1,000)  to  the  relief  of  the  "emeralders," 
canal  laborers,  then  out  of  work  and  in  great  distress. 

Needless  to  say  that,  having  such  lots  as  those  above  named 
bought  and  paid  for,  Mr.  Raymond  never  was  brought  to  want,  even 
by  such  unbusiness-like  conduct  as  the  relief  of  the  suffering  poor. 

Our  "story"  having  got  down  to  the  memory  of  living  men,  it  is 
possible  to  get  some  "  local  color"  from  old  settlers.  Talks  with  Judge 
Blodgett  (ar.  1831),  Justice  Caton  (ar.  1833),  the  Messieurs  Arthur 
G.  Burley  (ar.  1835)  and  Augustus  H.  Burley  (ar.  1837),  Fernando 
Jones  (ar.  1835),  A.  C.  Wood  (ar.  1835)  and  others,  give  scattered  bits 
of  incident,  some  of  which  have  not  been  heretofore  printed,  and  would, 
perhaps,  not  be  worth  repeating,  except  as  characteristic  of  the  time, 
place  and  circumstances. 

The  book  and  stationery  store  of  Stephen  Gale  and  Augustus 
Burley,  was  the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  the  whole  district,  and  was  the 
natural  gathering-place  of  all  the  more  intellectual  members  of  society, 
who  talked,  read  the  papers  and  played  chess  there,  by  hours  together. 
"In  going  one  square  through  Washington  street,  from  Dearborn  to 
Clark"  says  one  of  this  firm,  "I  meet  more  persons  than  in  1840  I 
should  see  in  the  whole  length  of  Lake  or  South  Water  street  during  a 
whole  day.  And  then,  I  knew  by  sight  every  passenger  I  met;  now, 
perhaps,  not  one."  Arthur  G.  Burley  started  his  business  (crockery 
and  glassware)  in  1835,  and  has  kept  it  up  continuously  from  that  day 

*  In  1868,  and  again  in  1873,  every  bank  in  New  York,  Boston,  and  Philadelphia  suspended  payment,  while 
Chicago  stood  firm.  This  is  ascribed  to  the  fact  that  while  Wall  street  is  based  on  stocks  and  bonds,  which  men  may 
take  or  leave,  as  they  fancy.  La  Salle  street  relies  on  grain  and  provisions,  which  the  world  must  have. 


Where  men 
used  to  con- 
gregate. 


THK   STORY  OF   CHICAGO. 


Real  Estate 
values 


Cost  of  living. 


to  the  present  (1891);  making  his  the  oldest  house  in  any  business  in 

Chicago,  if  not  in  the  entire  West. 
One  of  the  old  residents  remem- 
bers that  about  1842  Judge  Dickey 

offered     him     an     undivided    half 

interest     in    the     property    at    the 

corner   of    Michigan    avenue   and 

Jackson    street   (now    covered    by 

the  Leland  Hotel),  at  $40  a  front 

foot.       He     consulted    his    senior 

partner  about  it,  but  the  latter  ob- 
served   that   the    nearness    to    the 

lake  made  the  place  so  bleak  as  to 

deprive  it  of  value    for   residence 

use,  just  as  its  distance  from  town 

ruined  it  for  business  purposes.    So 

the  trade  was  never  made. 

What  the  narrator  did  buy  was 

the  southeast  corner  of   Dearborn 

and  Washington  streets  (Portland 

block),    for    $4,500.      There    were 

two  houses  on  the  lot   (80  feet)  and  the  owner  lived  in  one  of  them 

for  many  years.  In  1857  he  sold 
the  whole  for  $63,000,  and  the 
buyer  proceeded  to  build  upon 
them,  borrowing  the  money  for  the 
purpose.  The  evil  days  of  1858 
found  him  unable  to  carry  his 
mortgages,  and  he  failed. 

A  young  business  man  in  about 
1843-44  lived  at  the  City  Hotel, 
which  stood  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  Clark  and  Randolph  streets  (the 
present  site  of  the  Sherman  House) 
and  for  the  board  and  lodging  of 
self,  wife,  child  and  nurse  paid  the 
moderate  sum  of  $8  per  week. 


ARTHUR   G.   BURI.F.Y. 


- 


Plain  food  was  abundant  and 
I   cheap,    prairie     chickens    were    so 
I   plenty  that  you   could  do  little  ex- 
'   cept  give  them  away,  but  domestic 
fowls  brought  about  three  "York"shillings(thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents)  a 


AUGUSTUS    H.    HURLEY. 


THE  HARD    TIMES  OF  1837-40. 


175 


dozen  ;  eggs,  about  three  cents  a  dozen.  Country  folks,  even  well-to- 
do  farmers'  families,  lived  on  boiled  pork  and  cabbage  and  sassafras 
tea.  They  .had  plenty  of  milk,  to  be  sure,  if  you  don't  mind  its  being 
"leeky  ;"-— flavored  with  the  wild  onion  (Chi-ca-gou)  which  the  cows 
grazed  upon. 

The  junior  member  of  the  stationery  firm  naturally  had  the  monthly 
bills  to  make  out  and  (what  was  more  troublesome)  to  collect.  Justin 
Butterfield  was  one  of  the  gruff  and  crusty  customers.  "  Well,  young 
man,  what  do  you  want?"  "  This 


little    bill— 
so.)     "Humph! 


($8,  $12,  $15,  or 
No    money!" 


Next  two  or  three  calls,  same  col- 
loquy, same  result.  Finally,  "  That 
bill  again!  Here  !"  (pays  it.)  "I'll 
be  hanged  if  I  ever  owe  you  an- 
other cent."  A  day  or  two  later, 
entering  the  store:  "  Bottle'of  ink. 
Bunch  of  quills.  Quire  of  fools- 
cap! Charge  them."  Another 
customer  ( later  a  multimillionaire) 
was  less  gruff,  but  equally  trouble- 
some. Thrusting  his  hand  deep 
into  his  pocket  and  bringing  out 
a  jack-knife  and  a  single  small  coin, 
he  would  say,  "Young  man,  that's 
the  last  copper  I've  got  in  the 
world." 

Colonel  J.  M.  Strode  built  himself  a  modest  frame  house  at  Michi- 
gan Avenue  and  Jackson  Street.  One  day  he  called  on  the  carpenter 
who  had  done  the  work.  "Opdike,  how  much  did  the  glass  cost  you? 
How  much  did  you  pay  for  putty,  nails,  locks  and  hinges?  Well,  here's  s 
the  money;  I  don't  want  a  man  to  lose  money  he's  paid  out  for  me,  but 
as  for  your  work,  why — you'll  have  to  wait  for  your  pay  for  that." 

So  it  went  on.  The  stores  had  to  take  what  they  could  get. 
Broken-bank  notes,  canal  scrip,  city  scrip,  anything  and  everything  came 
in,  except  specie.  The  canal  scrip  got  down  to  thirty-seven  cents  on 
the  dollar.  City  scrip  was  worth  from  seventy  to  ninety  cents,  but  the 
holder  must  find  somebody  to  buy  it  who  wanted  to  use  it  in  paying 
taxes. 

In  those  days  ruffled  shirts  were  still  worn,  and  a  certain  elegant, 
well-educated  lawyer,  coming  hither  from  the  East,  was  noted  for  their 
use.  He  was  a  better  chess-player  than  lawyer,  and  too  easy-going  to 


JC.'STIN    BUTTERKIEI.I). 


176  THE  STORY  OF   CHICAGO. 

make  his  way  through  the  hard  times;  and  the  ruffles  marked  their 
owner's  decline.  On  Sunday  they  would  show  forth  fresh  and  snowy, 
turned  over,  say  to  the  right.  On  Monday  they  might  be  seen  turned 
towards  the  left,  and  on  Tuesday  spread  apart,  one  each  way;  but  for 
the  rest  of  the  week  the  poor  fellow  wore  his  coat  buttoned  up. 

Judge  Bloclgett  remembers  an  occurrence  which  shows  how  natural 
it  is  for  man  to  look  up  —  when  he  is  flat  on  his  back  and  can  not  look 
any  other  way.  Some  one,  entering  the  hardware  store  of  Jones,  King 
&  Co.,  where  things  looked  dull  and  blue  enough,  asked  Mr.  Jones  how 
he  felt,  and  was  answered:  "Oh,  I'm  easy  now.  They  ve  got  done  suing." 

As  a  proof  that  the  ruin  of  the  panic  of  the  early  forties,  or  that  of 
the  late  fifties,  or  those  of  the  seventies,  or  that  of  the  early  eighties, 
was  not  universal  bankruptcy,  it  may  be  observed  that  neither  of  the 
Not  an  bank-  members  of  the  firm  of  stationers  before  named,  all  of  whom  have  lived 
here  constantly  since  1837,  has  ever  failed  to  pay  every  debt  when  it  fell 
due,  no  matter  how  many  debtors  failed  to  pay  sums  owed  to  them.  All 
bought  and  sold  real  estate  as  occasion  offered,  but  held  their  mer- 
cantile debts  to  have  the  first  claim;  and,  whenever  needful,  the  real 
estate  must  go  to  provide  cash  for  the  merchandise  liability.  The  same 
is  true  of  the  crockery  establishment. 

When  the  builders  of  Chicago's  first  railroad  (Galena)  were  strain- 
ing every  nerve  to  get  it  through  as  far  as  Elgin,  they  called  on  all  the 
business  houses  on  the  route  to  take  stock,  and  the  Chicago  firms,  or 
most  of  them,  subscribed  for  shares,  one  or  more.  (The  stationery 
firm  took  ten  shares.)  But  some  of  the  richest  men,  notably  John 
High  and  H.  H.  Magie,  declined,  saying  that  it  would  ruin  the  town. 
Here  were  hundreds  of  teams  coming  in  ;  prairie  schooners  from  the 
South  and  common  farm  wagons  from  the  West;  bringing  wheat  and  corn 
and  taking  back  goods.  Now  if  the  road  should  be  built  out  west,  say 
to  Elgin,  the  farmers  would  drive  to  Elgin,  sell  their  grain  there  and 
buy  their  goods  there,  Chicago  becoming  a  mere  passing  point. 

It  is  of  these  hard  days  that  Captain  Andreas  well  says:  "The 
speculation  which  had  been  rampant  for  the  past  three  years  was  gone, 
but  a  grim  determination  showed  in  the  lineaments  of  each  true  Chica- 
goan's  face  which  meant  that,  although  fortunes  had  fled,  Chicago  was 
still  left."  This  reminds  one  of  a  characteristic  Indian  story.  Mokopo 
had  drank  fire-water  —  too  much,  and  yet  not  enough  —  and  was  wander- 
Vc.  jngr  aimlessly  about.  "  Why,  Mokey;  what's  the  matter  ?  Are  you  lost  ?" 
"  No  !  "  (striking  his  breast  resounding  blows)  "  Wigwam  lost  ;  Mokopo 
HERE!"  The  application  of  this  parable  to  Chicago  in  1812,  1840, 
1849  (flood),  1854  (cholera),  1859  (panic),  1871  (fire),  1874  (fire),  and 


THE  HARD    TIMES  OF  1837-40. 


177 


under  certain  other  staggering  blows,  is  too  obvious  to  need  explana- 
tion. As  we  come  to  these  successive  cataclysms  we  shall  have  repeated 
cause  to  note  the  elasticity  of  the 
reserve  force  which  underlies  the 
Garden  City. 

NOTE. — One  of  the  pleasant  incidents  that 

lighten  the  labors  of  the  annalist  occurred  while 

this  chapter  was  under  way.    It  was  an  accidental 

meeting  with   the  Rev.  Stephen  Ruddel  Beggs, 

named  in  Chapter  XII  I,  as  the  pioneer  of  Method- 
ism in  Chicago.      The   writer,  passing  over  the 

site  of  the  vanished  Fort   Dearborn,    chanced  to 

observe  an  old  gentleman  who  was  accompanied 

by  a  younger   person.     The  latter   made  some 

remark   about  the   spot,   to   which   he    replied, 

"Yes;    I   knew  Fort  Dearborn  long  before  you 

were  born." 

This    made  an  opening  for  acquaintance 

and  resulted   in  much  pleasant  talk  concerning 

the    days    gone     by.      Mr.     Beggs — "Father 

Beggs" — was  born  in  Virginia  in  1801,   and  in  his 

ninety-second  year  looks  as  if  he  might  well  live 

to   see   the   end  of  the  century  whereof  he  saw 

almost  the  beginning.      His  faculties  are  still  in 

good   condition,   and  he   sticks   stoutly   to    the 

number  of   babies  (fifteen)  whom    he   said  were 

born  at  the  Fort  during  the  "  Blackhawk  Scare." 

Therefore  skepticism  is  put  to  flight.  REV.  STEPHEN  KUDDEL  BEGGS. 

Father   Beggs    speaks   with  bitterness  of   the   obduracy   of  Major   Whistler,  on  his  arrival 

with  troops,  in  expelling  from  the  Fort  the  many 
refugees  who  had  taken  possession  of  it.  Mrs. 
Beggs,  on  a  certain  Monday,  gave  birth  to  a 
daughter  in  one  of  the  upper  rooms,  and  with 
her  babe  was  lying  there  helpless  when  the  sol- 
diers arrived  later  in  the  week.  Her  husband 
was  her  sole  attendant,  and,  when  the  Major 
passed  through  the  room,  explained  to  him  the 
circumstances,  and  begged  to  be  allowed  more 
time,  a  favor  which  the  other  refused,  saying 
that  he  must  have  the  place  for  his  men.  "  If  it 
had  not  been  for  the  kindness  of  John  H.  Kinzie 
on  the  North  Side,"  says  the  minister,  "  both 
mother  and  child  might  very  probably  have  per- 
ished." 

It  was  but  a  few  weeks  afterward  that 
Gen.  Scott  arrived  with  more  rank,  more  men 
and  the  cholera.  Father  Beggs  relates  how  Major 
Whistler  was  forced  incontinently  to  vacate,  in 
his  turn,  the  place  whence  he  had  ousted  the 
luckless  refugees,  and  tells  it  with  aglow  of  sat- 
isfaction which  illustrates  the  tact  that  there  is  a 
good  deal  of  human  nature  left  even  among  the 
saints. 

It  is  pleasant  to  be  able  to  give  a  fresh 
portrait  of  Father  Beggs  in  his  ninetieth  year. 
Also  a  portrait  of  John  S.  C.  Hogan  (ar.  1830), 

who  was  postmaster  at  the  time  when  Father  Beggs  arrived  in  1831. 


JOHN    S.    C.    HOGAN. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


" 


NEVER    SAY    DIE. 

'HICAGOANS  did  not,  in  1840  (or  in  any 
other  year),  give  themselves  up  to  low  spirits 
and  repining.  This  was  the  year  of  the 
Harrison  campaign,  the  first  successful 
effort  of  the  Whigs,  and  their  last  except 
the  election  of  Taylor  in  1848.  Excite- 
ment ran  high  here  as  elsewhere,  and 
Charles  Cleaver's  pamphlet  gives  a  vivid 
account  of  his  trip  to  the  Springfield  con- 
f'vention.  There  were  seventy  delegates, 
provided  with  fourteen  canvas-  covered 
wagons,  and  a  two-masted  boat  mounted  on 
wheels  and  armed  with  a  cannon  for  firing 
salutes.  Captain  (afterward  General)  Da- 
vid Hunter  was  in  command,  and  the  com- 
pany consisted  of  citizens  of  the  best  class.  Of  the  whole  number  it 
is  probable  that  scarcely  half  a  dozen  survive  now  (1891),  Mr.  Stephen 
F.  Gale  being  the  only  one  positively  known.  They  started  June 
°n.  /th,  and  it  took  them  all  day  to  reach  "  the  ridge,"  ten  miles  out.  The 
second  day  took  them  to  Joliet,  where  a  mob  of  Democratic  canal- 
laborers  assembled  with  tin  horns,  kettles,  etc.,  and  barred  the  passage. 
They  got  through  without  bloodshed,  and  reached  Springfield  in  a  week, 
where  the  "full-rigged  ship"  made  a  great  sensation  among  prairie- 
dwellers  all  unused  to  such  an  object. 

As  Hercules  strangled  the  serpents  that  invaded  his  cradle,  so  did 
Chicago  grasp  firmly  and  kill  quickly  the  enemies,  Doubt  and  Despair. 
This  was  no  "paper  city"  which  could  disappear: 

The  baseless  fabric  of  this  vision, 
The  cloud-capped  towers,  the  gorgeous  palaces, 
The  solemn  temples     .     .     .     dissolve, 
And,  like  this  unsubstantial  fabric  faded, 
Leave  not  a  rack  behind. 

Here  was  still  the  "  portage,"  where  the  greatest  stretch  of  lake 
navigation  could  come  into  nearest  contact  with  the  longest  system  of 
rivers  and  the  grandest  spread  of  fertile  lands.  Money,  real  money, 
came  hither  every  year  from  the  general  government  to  be  laid  out  on 

the  harbor,  and  before  long  $1,600,000  of  other  money,  attracted  by 

in 


NEVER   SAY  DIE. 


179 


the  solid  value  of  the  enterprise,  came  from  the  reviving  East,  to  be 
used  in  the  completion  of  the  canal.  Like  the  drops  of  a  cool  shower 
on  soil  thirsty  from  drought  these  dollars  fell,  and  the  soil  being  unfail- 
ingly fertile,  earth  once  more  smiled  with  richness  and  gave  forth  of  its 
abundance  in  gener- 
ous measure.  The 
ablest  men  inthe com- 
munity maintained 
their  faith.  Caton, 
Ogden,  Wentworth, 
Peck,  Carpenter,  Cly- 
bourne,  Arnold,  Bur- 
ley,  Dole,  Cleaver, 
George  Smith,  Cobb, 
Couch,  Gale,  Hub- 
bard,  Harmon,  Judd, 
Loomis,  Manierre, 
Page,  Raymond, 
Sherman,  Stone — all 
whose  names  appear 
in  Hurlbut's  copy  of 
Rudd's  directory  for 
1839,  besides  Scam- 
mon,  Skinner,  Wright 
and  others  who  are 
not  mentioned  — 
never  swerved  from 
their  unbounded  con- 
fidence in  the  coming 
greatness  of  their 


I.    YOUNG   SCAMMON. 


chosen  spot  of  earth. 

Each  of  them  found  his  faith  rewarded  by  fortune ;  some  greater,  some 
less,  according  as  he  had  combined  faith  and  judgment  in  fitting  pro- 
portions The  Kinzies,  Beaubiens,  Wolcotts,  etc.,  sold  out  untimely i 
and  so  fared  less  well.  They  had  seen  Chicago  grow  from  units  to 
thousands;  and  the  further  steps,  tens  of  thousands,  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands, etc.,  seemed  no  doubt  chimerical. 

At  the  same  time  there  were  men  who  made  the  opposite  error ; 
who,  truly  estimating  the  greatness  of  growth,  underestimated  the  length 
of  time  it  would  require;  and,  building  too  high  a  superstructure  on  too 
narrow  a  foundation,  saw  their  whole  edifice  topple  to  utter  ruin.  The 
Chicago  of  to-day  is  spangled  with  brilliant  fortunes,  and  blotted  with 


confidence. 


i8o 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


sad  disasters.  The  lights  are  patent  to  all ;  the  shadows  are  unnoticed. 
It  is  like  the  sea ;  wrecks  are  hidden  and  tall  ships  sail  on. 

A  ripple  in  the  dull  current  of  hard  times  was  a  rumored  "  personal 
difficulty  "  connected — almost  of  course — with  the  freedom  of  the  press 
in  its  remarks  upon  private  persons. 

John  Wentworth,  in  his  "  Democrat,"  used  the  following  language  : 

It  is  an  indisputable  fact  that  every    one  of  these  persons  who  have  been  filching    money 

Alleged  row        unjustly  in  the  shape  of  Indian  claims    are   opposed  to  the  administration    [Van    Buren's]   and  use 
lohnt'nd'c'a"8  such  '"-8otten  gains  to  injure  it  in  every   possible   manner.      It  is  due   to  the  people  that  all  Indian 
tain  Hunter,     treaties  for  the  last  ten  years  be  overhauled   in  the  most  thorough  manner,  arid  the    thousand  knave- 
ries practised  by  men  thereby  made  nabobs  fully  exposed  to  the  public  gaze. 

It  is  said  that  Captain  (afterward  General)  David  Hunter  took 
offense  at  this  and  went  to  the  "  Democrat"  office,  pistols  in  hand,  for 
an  explanation.  The  opposition  (Whig)  paper,  "The  Democratic 

Advocate"  (printed  by  our  friend, 
Robert  Fergus),  got  out  a  cartoon, 
showing  the  editor  surprised  in  his 
sanctum,  the  soldier  entering,  pre- 
senting two  murderous -looking 
weapons  and  saying,  "Take  your 
choice  and  stand  back!"  To  which 
the  other  replied,  "  Don't  shoot— 
don't  shoot !  I'll  sign  anything." 
But  this  was  regarded  as  the  mere 
squib  of  political  opponents,  as  the 
parties  concerned  denied  any  such 
occurrence.  So  everybody  was 
willing  to  laugh  the  matter  off  and 
accept  the  theory  that  Captain 
Hunter  had  only  dropped  in  at 
editor  Wentworth's  office  after 
calling  at  Peacock  &  Thatcher's 

gun  store,  where  his  pistols  had  been  left  for  cleaning,  and  that  there 
was  no  challenge — not  even  an  unpleasant  word — perhaps  not  any  allu- 
sion whatever  to  the  alleged  injury.  Certain  it  is,  however,  that  a  later 
edition  of  the  "Democrat"  disclaimed  any  reference  to  Captain  Hunter; 
and  the  captain,  on  his  part,  published  a  card  saying  that  the  pistols 
were  not  loaded.  Mr.  Fergus  is  non-committal  as  to  the  true  inward- 
ness of  the  matter,  which  was  a  sensation  in  its  day. 

Stage-lines  were  now  running  out  of  Chicago  in  several  directions. 
They  were  naturally  connected  with  the  carrying  of  the  mails;  whoever 
had  the  mail-contract  carried  the  passengers  and  light  parcels.  John 
Frink  succeeded  Dr.  Temple  as  mail-carrier,  and  Frink  &  Bingham,  and 


NEVER   SAY  DIE. 


181 


Frink  &  Walker  became  famous  throughout  the  region  as  mail  carriers 
and  stage  coach  men.  The  stage  office  was  long  at  123  Lake  street 
and  afterward  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Dearborn  and  Lake  streets. 
M.  O.  Walker  was  a  name  known  not  only  through  Illinois  but  in  other 
States. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  some  important  undertakings  were  begun 
even  in  the  most  depressing  times.  Isherwood  and  McKenzie  estab- 
lished (1838)  the  first  regular  theatre  (named,  at  Dr.  Egan's  sugges- 


Stage  coach 
days. 


STAGE   OFFICE. 


tion  "The  Rialto"),  taking  and  fitting  up  the  upper  floor  of  a  wooden 
building  on  the  west  side  of  Dearborn  street,  between  Lake  and  South 
Water  streets.  In  the  flush  times  this  building  had  been  the  public 
sales-room  of  John  Bates  and  other  auctioneers.  The  first  Chicago 
daily,  "The  American,"  was  issued  April  9,  1839.  ("The  American" 
had  been  issued  weekly,  with  some  intermissions,  since  1835.) 

Death,  as  well  as  life,  has  to  go  on,  in  foul  weather  as  in  fair,  and 
1840  saw  the  beginning  of  a  cemetery  which,  in  its  turn,  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  park,  the  first  in  the  magnificent  system  of  city  pleasure 
grounds  with  which  Chicago  is  now  surrounded.  In  order  to  be  surely 
far  enough  out  of  town  to  remain  forever  secure  from  encroachment  the 

'The  reader  is  referred  to  Andreas'  history  for  most  interesting  fac-similes  of  all  the  early  Chicago  newspaper 


First  regular 
Theatre. 


IS2 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


Cemetery  at 
Clark  Street 
and   North 
Avenue. 


States  emerging 
from  their 
troubles. 


selection  was  made  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the  northern  boundary  of 
the  "original  town"  (Kinzie  street),  and  a  full  mile  outside  of  the 
desolate  northern  line  of  Wolcott's  and  Kinzie's  additions  (Chicago 
avenue).  In  fact  it  was  in  another  township,  being  section  33  of  Town 
40,  while  the  others  were  in  section  9  of  Town  39.  The  cemetery  sec- 
tion, like  the  "original  town,"  was  "canal  land,"  and  had  been  bought 
of  the  canal  commissioners  by  John  S.  Wheeler,  probably  at  $1.25  an 
acre.  A  number  of  public-spirited  citizens  joined  and  bought  this  from 
Mr.  Wheeler  and  presented  it  to  the  city,  the  latter  contributing  but  a 
tririe  toward  the  purchase.*  The  later  history  of  "  The  Cemetery"  and 

its  final  merging  into  Lincoln  Park, 
will  be  set  forth  in  detail  in  chrono- 
logical order  as  they  occurred.  To- 
day (1891)  in  the  appearance  of  the 
magnificent  park,  with  its  statues, 
fountains,  hills,  dells,  lakes,  streams, 
flower-beds,  palm -house,  menag- 
erie, and  miles  of  roads  and  paths, 
there  is  almost  nothing  to  indicate 
that  it  was  once  the  burial  place  of 
uncounted  thousands  of  our  fel- 
low-citizens, many  of  whom,  no 
doubt,  accidentally  omitted  in  the 
removal,  still  sleep  beneath  its  sur- 
face. Nothing,  except  a  single 
tomb,  that  of  the  old  Couch  estate, 
to  which,  for  certain  reasons,  the 
Park  Commissioners  never  obtained 

JAMES   COUCH.  .-.i  i    •  ...  ,  . 

title;  this  remains  silent  and  grim, 

as  if  to  remind  the  pleasure-seekers  that  in  the  midst  of  life  we  are 
in  death. 

Illinois  being  the  last  State  to  step  into  the  quicksand,  sank  least 
and  scrambled  out  soonest.  She  could  make  the  famous  old  Western 
boast  of  being  able  to  "run  faster,  jump  higher,  dive  deeper  and 
come  up  dryer  "than  another.  Little  Michigan  (then  only  the  horse- 
shoe-shaped peninsula  inclosed  by  Lakes  Michigan,  .Huron  and  St. 
Clair  and  the  Detroit  River),  began  in  1839  her  policy  of  retrench- 
ment, and  in  1846  found  that  there  had  been  spent  on  her  railroads 
$4,500,000  of  money  and  305,000  acres  of  public  land.  Stephen  Gale, 

•The  public-spirited  deed  was  done  largely  by  the  efforts  of  William  Jones,  Esq.,  a  prominent  hardware  mer- 
chant, whose  son,  Fernando  Jones,  has  furnished  these  facts  for  our  use.  Among  the  citizens  who  were  greatly  inter- 
ested  in  the  matter  may  be  mentioned  William  B.  Ogden,  John  H.  Kinzie,  Dr.  John  H.  Foster,  James  H.  Woodworth  and 
Jonathan  Young  Scammon. 


NEVER   SAY  DIE.  183 

during  a  visit  to  Boston,  was  asked  by  Mr.  Wilkins,  president  of  a 
Boston  bank,  about  Western  investments,  and  replied  advising  the  pur- 
chase of  Michigan  bonds  at  seventy  per  cent.,  and  with  them  getting 
control  of  Western  railroads.  Boston  capitalists  did  buy  the  Michi-  Boston  capital. 
gan  Central  for  $2,000,000,  and  the  Michigan  Southern  for  $500,000; 
which,  paid  for  in  State  bonds  at  seventy  cents  on  the  dollar,  made 


TOMB    OK    THE    COUCH    FAMILY    IN    LINCOLN    PARK. 


the  outlay  $1,750,000.  This  was  effected,  and  gave  rise  to  the  boast 
of  the  Boston  capitalists  that  "when  the  Western  States  and  their  peo- 
ple fail  to  complete  a  railroad,  Boston  steps  in  with  her  capital  and 
assumes  control."  After  this  transaction,  Eastern  capitalists  looked  to 
what  they  termed  the  insolvent  West  as  the  reservation  for  their 
investments.  (Andreas,  p.  261.) 

Illinois  sold  her  scattered  bits  of  work  for  what  they  would  bring. 
and  now  each  forms  part  of  some  great  through  line.  The  writer 
is  familiar  with  one  of  them;  abrown-stone  pier,  low,  broad  and  strong, 
in  the  Vermilion  river  at  Danville,  on  the  top  of  which  pier  stands 
a  tall  limestone  pillar  holding  up  the  great  iron  bridge  of  the  Wabash 
through  line. 


hatiuw  cut 


1  84  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

As  has  been  before  told,  a  new  advance  of  $1,600,000  was  obtained 
through  the  agency  of  Messrs.  Ogden,  Butterfield,  and  Arnold,  of 
Chicago,  State  Senator  Michael  Ryan,  of  the  La  Salle  district,  and 
Arthur  Bronson,  of  New  York.  Mr.  Arnold  made  public  speeches  in 
its  favor  and  advocated  it  in  the  legislature  whereof  he  was  a  member. 
The  governor  appointed  Michael  Ryan  and  Charles  Oakley  commis- 
sioners to  place  the  loan,  and  they  visited  New  York  and  London. 

Canal  Com-  ' 

Every  one  abjured  the  idea  of  any  possible  repudiation  of  the  State 
debt,  or  any  part  of  it.  Baring  Brothers  and  other  bankers  sent  out 
expert  examiners  (Captain  W.  H.  Swift,  U.  S.  A.,  and  ex-Governor 
John  Davis,  of  Massachusetts)  and,  their  report  being  favorable,  the 
money  was  forthcoming  to  complete  the  canal  on  a  smaller  plan  and 
profile  than  it  had  been  begun  upon.* 

Here  came  in  another  difficulty;  for  a  shallow  cut  the  water  must 
be  supplied  at  a  higher  level  than  fora  deep  cut.  Ira  Miltimore,  builder 
of  Chicago's  first  water  works,  proposed  to  raise  the  water  from  the 
river  to  the  canal  by  steam-pumps.  Others  urged  the  bringing  of  the 
needed  supply  (43,000  gallons  per  minute)  by  a  3o-mile  feeder  from  the 
Fox  river.  The  pumping  plan  was,  however,  adopted,  and  has  worked 
well  from  that  day  to  this,  when  it  is  about  to  be  superseded  by  a  deep 
cut,  natural-level  channel,  capable  of  taking  from  the  river  600.000 
cubic  feet  (4,300,000  gallons)  per  minute,  and  thus  disposing  of  the 
city  sewage. 

Captain  Andreas  gives  the  sums  paid  in  from  June,  1  845,  to  Novem- 
ber, 1846,  as  follows:  Illinois  subscribers,  $94,810;  New  York,  $273,- 
841,  and  French  and  English,  $721,000,  of  which  the  French  contrib- 
uted about  one-quarter. 

It  appears  that  besides  its  commercial  value  the  canal  exercised  an 
influence  on  the  political  standing  of  the  city.  Wisconsin  was  aspiring 
to  the  honor  of  Statehood,  and  cast  covetous  eyes  on  the  Garden  City  ; 
going  so  far  as  to  offer  to  John  Wentworth  and  Joseph  Hage  (of 
Galena)  the  honor  of  representing  her  in  the  U.  S.  Senate,  provided 
their  section  of  Illinois  should  become  part  of  Wisconsin.  To  support 
the  idea  they  had  this  formidable  circumstance:  The  ordinance  of  1787 
designated  the  southern  point  of  Lake  Michigan  as  the  starting  point 
for  the  northern  line  of  the  State  ! 

But  the  manifest  folly  of  allowing  the  canal  to  fall  under  a  divided 
dominion  —  running,  as  it  would  have  done,  partly  in  Wisconsin  and 
partly  in  Illinois  —  killed  the  Wisconsin  project,  and  Chicago  stayed, 
where  she  seems  naturally  to  have  belonged,  part  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

*  Russell  E.  Heacock  had  early  shown  himself  shrewd  enough  to  foresee  trouble  in  carrying  out  the  magnificent 
"ship  canal  "  project  of  the  original  enthusiasts.  He  argued,  he  pleaded,  he  talked,  he  wrote,  and  at  last  acquired  the 
nickname  of  "  Shallow-cut  Heacock."  As  often  happens,  the  scoffers  were  wrong,  their  butt  in  the  right. 


NEVER    SAY   DIE. 


1*5 


In  a  thousand  ways  the  canal  has  blessed  Chicago.  The  money 
laid  out  in  building  it  helped  her  to  her  rapid  recovery  from  the  col- 
lapse of  1838-40.  The  men  it  brought  here  added  to  her  own  num- 
bers, and  still  more  to  the  sturdy  farming  population  which 
built  up  her  trade ;  men  who  saved  their  canal-wages  and  with 
them  bought  canal-land  from  which  they  raised  products  to  form 
canal-freights.  (The  land  through  which  it  runs  is  the  garden  of 
the  State.)  Its  location  saved  Chicago  and  the  whole  northern  belt  of 
counties  to  Illinois.  Its  revenues  paid  its  cost  with  interest,  and  made 
a  surplus.  It  has  brought  stone, 
brick,  food  and  fuel  in  vast  quan- 
tities to  build  up  her  trade,  and 
carried  away  an  inconceivable  mass 
of  lumber  and  merchandise.  And 
now  to  crown  its  benefactions  it  is 
soon  to  be  enlarged  to  proportions 
originally  unthought  of,  to  furnish 
an  outlet  to  drain  the  city  (also 
grown  to  unforeseen  greatness) and 
solve  the  sewerage  problem,  which, 
without  its  aid,  would  present  ap- 
palling difficulties  to  its  further  life. 
Still  more ;  the  sewage  thus  turned 
inland  may,  at  no  distant  day,  be- 
come the  fertilizing  material  which 
shall  maintain  the  whole  Illinois 
valley  in  a  state  of  more  than  Nile- 
like  fertility  and  productiveness. 

For  the  details  of  its  troubles  and  dangers,  the  quarrels  of  divided 
management,  the  epidemic  of  1846,  the  labor  strike  of  1847,  the  "leaky 
level "  from  Joliet  to  the  Du  Page,  the  great  drought  of  one  year,  and 
the  great  flood  of  the  next — even  the  fraudulent  re-issue  of  $223,000  of 
its  "scrip"  which,  after  it  had  been  paid,  was  presented  and  paid  a  sec- 
ond time  ; — all  these  things  must  be  looked  for  in  larger  histories;  notably 
i  Andreas,  pp.  165  to  173.  Suffice  it  here  to  say  that  on  April  10,  1848, 
the  canal  boat  "  General  Fry,"  towed  by  the  canal  propeller,  "  A.  Ros- 
siter,"  passed  from  Lockport  to  Bridgeport,  and  thence  down  the  South 
Branch  (LaSalle's  "  Portage  River"),  welcomed  by  the  Mayor  (Wood- 
worth)  and  with  an  eloquent  speech  by  Charles  Walker.  On  April  24, 
the  canal  boat,  "  General  Thornton,"  arrived  at  Chicago  from  LaSalle, 
laden  with  sugar  from  New  Orleans  for  Buffalo,  which  point  it  reached 


The  Canal's 
many  bene- 
faction*. 


HARKV    ISIIKRWOOP. 


iS6 


THR  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


in  the  steamboat  "  Louisiana"  on  April  30;  two  weeks  before  the  Erie 
Canal  was  clear  of  its  winter  ice. 

The  following  table  gives  the  city  statistics  from  1843  (when  per- 
sonal property  was  first  included  in  its  assessment  list)  to  1857: 


YEAR. 

Property 
Valuation. 

Corporate 
Liabilities. 

Taxes 

Collected. 

Population. 

Census. 

1843 

$    1.  441.  314 

$        12,  6'?'; 

8,647 

7,58o 

City 

2,763,281 

0,701: 

17,166 

8,000 

Estimate 

1841;  .                 

^.O6S.O22 

10,691 

11,077 

12,088 

State 

1846  

J*          •J* 

4.521.656 

16.041; 

is,  821; 

14.160 

Citv 

1847 

5.840.170 

I  3.1  7O 

18,11:9 

I6.8CQ 

ft 

1848  

6,300,440 

20,338 

22,01;  i 

2O,O23 

r* 

6  676,684 

^6  \i\ 

3.0.041; 

2*.  O47 

M 

iSqo 

7   22O  24Q 

Q3  1QZ 

25.  27O 

28.26Q 

(( 

i8e  i 

8  526  717 

I  4O  ^QO 

63.381; 

34.OOO 

Estimate 

181:2    . 

10,461,714 

I  26.0^5 

76,948 

28,734 

City 

i8q*.  . 

16,841,831 

180.670 

i«,  662 

60,662 

<* 

181:4.  . 

24.3Q2.2tQ 

248,666 

I00.o8l 

611,872 

ft 

iSqi;.  . 

26  QO2.8O3 

728  ooo 

2O6.2OO 

80.023 

State 

i8s6.. 

36  33?  281 

^-2C  OOO 

t;72.O46 

84.  113 

City 

i8<;7.  . 

-7  c  QQI   732 

C  •?  c  OOO 

4*0  100 

•    Q3  OOO 

Estimate 

1890  

2IQ  354   368 

•j  «j  j  ' 

I  7    CAC    J.OO 

3e  7  I   164 

I  208  669 

School 

Therefore,  with  13  times  the  population  it  had  in  1857,  the  city 
has  (1891)  6  times  the  assessed  valuation,  owes  over  25  times  the  debt, 
and  pays  over  8  times  the  taxes.  In  other  words,  the  relations  of  per- 
sons to  assets  and  liabilities  were  as  follows  : 


YEAR. 

Valuation  per      City  Debt  per  \ 
Capita.                 Capita. 

Taxes  per 
Capita. 

In  i8>;7.  . 

$387  oo                  1   5  75 

$4.62 

In  1891  

1  8  I  OO                               I  I   2  I 

2   <K 

To  a  farmer,  who  was  not  in  debt,  the  "hard  times"  were  less 
hard  than  to  any  other  class  of  persons.  It  is.  in  truth,  always  and 
everywhere  the  case  that  the  agriculturist  feels  least  the  ups  and  downs 
of  fortune  ;  all  that  he  asks  is  to  be  let  alone,  buying  what  he  can  pay 
for  and  must  have,  wherever  he  can  buy  it  cheapest,  and  selling  what 
he  can  spare  wherever  he  can  sell  it  for  the  best.  Bar  interference,  and 
give  him  soil  and  water,  and  he  can  live  on  any  part  of  earth's  surface 
between  the  Arctic  and  the  Antarctic  circles. 

The  Illinois  farmer,  however,  under  these  conditions,  does  more 
than  barely  live.  He  grows  rich.  Judge  Bloclgett's  narrative  is  a  typ- 
ical illustration  of  the  emigrants'  possibilities.  His  father,  Israel  P. 
Blodgett,  was  sent  as  the  advance  agent  of  a  colony  organized  in  North- 


NEVER   SAY  DIE.  187 

ampton,  Massachusetts,  to  examine  and  report  on  the  best  location  for 
a  farming  settlement.  They  were  of  the  stern  old  Puritan  stock  and 
full  of  the  feeling  that  they  were  chosen  to  carry  the  Bible  into  the 
waste  places  to  make  them  glad.  Without  waiting  for  his  return  the 
little  band  journeyed  westward,  bringing  along  Israel  Blodgett's  family, 
including  the  little  Henry,  then  some  ten  years  old.  Their  course  was 
overland  from  Northampton  to  Albany,  thence  by  canal  to  Buffalo,  and 
by  steamboat  to  Detroit.  This  was  in  June,  1831  ;  and  they  found 
themselves  too  late  for  the  first  and  too  early  for  the  second  of  the  two 
steamboats  which  came  around  the  lakes  each  year.  Therefore,  they 
bought  teams  and  wagons  in  Detroit,  and  drove  across  the  State ;  the 
journey  from  Northampton  to  Chicago  taking  six  weeks  and  two  days. 
David  McKee,  the  blacksmith  for  the  Indians,  then  lived  and  kept 
his  shop  about  where  the  North-Western  Railway's  general  offices  now 
stand,  three  streets  east  of  Kinzie  street  bridge.  With  him  Israel 
Blodgrett  left  word  to  look  out  for  his  family,  as  he  was  building  a  cabin  THC story  <>fa 

»  typical  family 

for  them  on  the  Du  Page,  near  where  Naperville  now  stands.  David  n>'s"<'°n- 
was  to  send  word  to  Israel  as  soon  as  he  got  news  of  their  arrival. 
This  news  came  by  the  Indian  who  carried  the  mail  between  Chicago 
and  Detroit,  who  passed  the  teams  somewhere  on  the  road  ;  and 
McKee  met  the  party  down  at  the  Calumet  crossing,  where  they  arrived 
one  Saturday  night.  Never,  in  the  whole  journey,  had  the  good  Puri- 
tans traveled  on  a  Sunday ;  but  now,  their  own  provisions  being 
exhausted,  and  all  they  could  get  at  the  Calumet  being  not  enough  to 
last  them  till  Monday,  they  were  forced  to  come  on  to  the  fort  and  set- 
tlement on  the  Sabbath. 

Here  Israel  met  them  and  told  them  that  he  had  picked  out  a  spot 
which,  for  soil,  timber,  water  and  locality,  he  thought  could  not  be 
beaten.  They  had  from  the  start  resolved  to  get  on  the  waters  con- 
necting with  the  Mississippi,  for  they  looked  to  the  Gulf  for  the  great 
future  outlet  for  farm  products.  The  head  of  the  party  was  one  Jones, 
a  stout  old  Cromwell,  who  was  his  own  judge  of  what  was  right  and 
best,  find  his  own  general  to  make  his  judgment  prevail.  He  had  a 
brother  already  here,  who,  without  any  instructions,  had  pitched  upon 
a  spot  further  down  the  valley,  on  the  Bureau  River.  This  was  nearer 
the  Mississippi  and  the  Gulf,  and  to  that  location  the  leader's  face  was 
firmly  set.  But  Israel  was  also  firm,  so  the  colony  divided  ;  three 
families  staying  on  the  Du  Page  and  the  rest  going  on  to  the  Bureau. 
Both  sections  did  well,  the  Joneses  founding  Princeton,  and  the  Blod- 
getts,  Naperville. 

Israel  went  back  to  his  claim  (thirty  miles  west  by  south),  to  finish 
the  cabin,  and  his  family  stayed  with  the  McKees.  Mrs.  McKee  got  up 


188 


THE   STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


a  tea-party  in  honor  of  Mrs.  Blodgett,  inviting  every  white  woman  in 
the  neighborhood,  who,  when  assembled,  made  a  company  of  six :  Mrs. 
Graves,  Mrs.  Hamilton,  Mrs.  Owen,  Mrs.  Miller,  Mrs.  McKee  and  Mrs. 
Blodgett.* 

The  canal  was  started  and  everything  a  farmer  could  raise  found 
ready  market.  Young  Henry  worked  and  studied,  and  in  course  of 
time  had  a  year  of  schooling  at  the  East.  Then  he  returned  and  taught 
school  a  year,  and  served  a  time  on  the  engineering  corps  on  the  canal. 
Israel  was  a  corporal  in  Captain  Naper's  company  of  mounted  volun- 


, 

-*--- 


ILLINOIS    FARM. 


teers  for  the  Black  Hawk  War,  but  the  company  saw  no  field  service. 
He  grew  rich  on  his  farm,  dying  full  of  years  and  of  honors,  and  his 
son  became,  as  all  the  world  knows,  first  a  distinguished  lawyer,  and 
later  a  Federal  judge,  attaining  a  degree  of  distinction  on  the  bench 
almost  unique  in  its  eminence. 

Such  is  the  story  of  a  single  migration  and  "growing  up  with 
the  country; "  not  differing  from  others  except  in  that  one  of  its 
members  reached  an  exceptional  elevation  through  exceptional  powers. 

An  interesting  narrative  of  the  times  has  survived  in  an  interesting 
way.  It  is  Sylvester  Marsh's  testimony  before  a  Senate  Committee  on 
Education  and  Labor : 

Chicago  grew  very  fast,  and  in  1835  there  must  have  been  2,500  people  there.  We  then  went 
down  to  the  Wabash  country,  as  we  called  it,  and  bought  cattle  and  hogs  and  drove  them  up  for 
market.  In  1836  they  commenced  buildingthe  canal  and  in  that  year  I  packed  6,ooohogs  there,  mostly 

*  Twenty  years  and  more  after  this,  Mrs.  Blodgett,  being  in  Chicago,  went  to  call  on  one  of  the  other  ladies,  who 
grew  quite  eloquent  on  the  absurdity  of  the  claim  of  later  comers  to  be  classed  as  old  settlers.  Said  she,  "You  and  I, 
Mrs.  Blodgett,  know  better  ;  for  we  saw  the  very  tegunment  of  it  all !  " 


XEVER   SAY  DIE.  189 

forborne  consumption.  The  contractors  took  the  pork  for  their  men.  The  State  failed  to  pay  in  1838-9 
and  work  on  the  canal  was  stopped.  State  bonds  went  down  to  25  cents  on  the  dollar  and  the  State 
issued  what  was  called  "  Canal  Scrip"  to  pay  the  contractors  what  was  owed  them  for  work  they  had 
done.  That  was  afterward  redeemed,  dollar  for  dollar.  .  .  One  section  of  the  canal  land  was 
right  in  the  heart  of  old  Chicago.  It  was  sold  in  June,  1836,  for  a  quarter  down  and  the  balance  in 
one,  two  and  three  years  ("Canal  time"),  and  I  think  there  was  but  one  man  in  the  city  that  made 
his  second  payment,  P.  F.  W.  Peck.  .  .  Everybody  burst  up  —  the  banks  and  everybody  else 
went  up.  The  Canal  went  along  for  a  while.  Contracts  were  entered  into  by  the  State  and  work 
went  along  until  1839,  the  State  trying  every  way  to  pay,  and  about  that  time  they  stopped. 
From  1836  to  1842,  when  the  United  States  bankrupt  law  was  passed,  there  was  no  responsibility. 
No  man  had  anything  hardly  that  he  could  call  his  own. 

"The  Forties  "  saw  the  beginning,  in  a  small  way,  of  nearly  all  the 
great  institutions  Chicago  now  enjoys.  In  1841  the  first  water-works 
were  built.  The  first  propeller  was  launched  in  1842,  in  which  year  the 
exports  were  for  the  first  time  greater  than  the  imports.  The  first 
book  compiled,  printed,  bound  and  issued  is  said  to  have  been  in  1843. 
The  first  meat  for  the  English  market  was  packed  in  1844.  The  first 
permanent  public  school  building  was  built  in  1845.  In  1846  the  River 
and  Harbor  convention  met,  and  Chicago  was  made  a  port  of  entry.  ^'-"th?™!-! 
In  1847  the  first  permanent  theatre  was  opened  (Rice's;  south  side  of 
Randolph  street  between  State  and  Dearborn  streets),  and  McCor- 
mick's  reaper  factory  was  started.  In  1848  the  first  telegram  was 
received,  being  a  message  from  Milwaukee,  and  later  the  "  Pioneer"  our 
first  locomotive,  was  landed  from  the  schooner  "Buffalo"  and  started  out 
on-  the  Galena  railway.  In  the  same  year  the  Board  of  Trade  was 
established  and  the  canal  opened.  In  1849  the  "Chicago  &  Galena 
Union  Railroad  "  was  opened  to  Elgin.  Surely  this  is  a  fair  decade's 
work  for  a  "  ruined  city,"  and  yet  we  know  that  these  are  merely  typical 
and  conspicuous  enterprises  which,  great  as  they  are,  would  shrink  into 
insignificance  if  one  could  see  the  thousands  of  individual  achievements 

O 

which  were  going  on  unmarked  meanwhile.  Concerning  the  water 
supply,  the  "  American,"  of  June  10,  1842,  says: 

The  whole  outlay  of  the  company  has  been  about  $24,000.  A  large  brick  building  has  been 
erected  [northeast  corner  of  Michigan  avenue  and  Lake  street]  with  a  pier  running  into  the  lake. 
The  steam  engine  is  of  25  horse-power.  The  working  barrel  of  the  pump  is  14  inches  in  diameter 
and  44  inches  stroke — double  action.  The  suction  pipe  by  which  the  water  is  drawn  from  the  lake 
is  also  14  inches  in  diameter  and  320  feet  in  length.  The  pump  raises  upward  of  25  barrels  of  water 
per  minute,  35  feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake.  There  are  two  reservoirs  each  of  the  capacity  of  1,250 

barrels,  a  space  of  about  50  minutes  is  required  to  fill  each  of  the  reservoirs.     The   reservoir  is   of  The  Lake  street 

,,.,,..  ..          hydraulic 

sufficient  elevation  to  throw  water  into  the  second  story  of  any  building  in  town.     About  two  miles     works. 

in  length  of  pipe  are  now  laid  down.  The  machinist  under  whose  direction  these  works  have  been 
put  into  such  complete  and  successful  operation,  is  Mr.  Ira  Miltimore.  It  was  for  a  long  time  con- 
fidently predicted  that  his  undertaking  would  prove  a  complete  failure.  These  predictions  were  to  him 
a  source  of  constant  and  harassing  anxiety.  It  can  scarcely  be  imagined  how  keenly  intent  were  his 
feelings,  when  the  works  were  on  the  point  of  being  put  into  operation.  His  feelings  at  that  moment 
were  assuredly  not  to  be  envied  They  were  to  be  envied  when  the  regular  evolution,  the  easy 
play,  the  harmonious  action  of  every  part  of  the  machinery  announced  the  triumph  of  skill. 

The  25  horse-power  engine  was  so  far  in  advance  of  the  city's 
hydraulic  needs  that  in  1842  a  contract  was  made  with  James  Long 


190  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

whereby  he  agreed  to  run  the  pumps  gratis  for  ten  years  for  the  privi- 
lege of  using  the  spare  power  in  operating  a  flour-mill.  In  pursuance 
of  this  agreement,  Mr.  Long  built  a  brick  mill,  with  three  run  of  stone, 
and  actually  ran  it  for  ten  years,  doing  a  good  business.  His  son  still 
remembers  seeing  an  Irishman  with  a  "pod  auger"  boring  out  length- 
wise  the  logs  needed  to  convey  the  entire  water  supply  of  the  young 
metropolis,  and  even  as  this  chapter  is  being  written  a  log  of  water  pipe 
has  been  dug  up  (in  excavating  for  the  foundations  of  the  Cook  County 
Abstract  building,  No.  98  Washington  street),  which  is  in  good  condi- 
tion and,  like  other  relics,  connects  old  things  with  new  in  an  amusing 
fashion.  Mr.  Long  had  his  own  troubles  to  keep  the  insufficient  appa- 
ratus at  work.  He  said  :  "  In  winter  the  pipes  would  be  disarranged 
by  the  heaving  of  the  frost,  and  I  had  frequently  to  spend  hours  at  a 
time  to  caulk  up  the  joints  by  throwing  on  water  and  thus  freezing  up 
the  cracks  before  we  could  make  the  pumps  work." 

.  .  Chicago  had  no  start — no  life — until  the  legislature  passed  what  we  called  the  relief 
law;  that  is,  they  gave  us  as  much  of  the  land  as  we  had  paid  for.  If  a  man  had  bought  four  lots 
and  paid  the  full  value  for  one,  the  relief  law  gave  us  one  lot  and  then  gave  us  up  our  notes. 
(Andreas,  p.  501.) 

This  calls  to  mind  a  remark  of  Judge  Lockwood,  remembered  by 
Justice  Caton.  While  prices  were  "  booming,"  many  bills  in  chancery 
were  filed  by  buyers  to  compel  the  "  specific  performance  "  of  contracts 
to  convey  land.  Said  the  Judge  :  "  The  day  will  come  when  they  will 
be  as  anxious  to  get  out  of  contracts  as  they  are  now  to  enforce  them." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


RIVER    AND    HARBOR    CONVENTION. 

rEXAS  was  annexed  in  1845,  a°d  Zachary 
Taylor  with  4,000  regulars  marched  across 
the  country  to  the  Rio  Grande,  thus  neces- 
sarily creating  a  state  of  war  with  Mexico, 
which  claimed  Texas,  though  in  revolt,  as 
part  of  its  territory.  The  Mexicans  at- 
tacked Taylor's  forces  in  May,  1846,  and 
were  defeated  at  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de 
la  Palma.  President  Polk  asked  for  50,- 
ooo  volunteers,  and  Governor  Ford  called 
on  Illinois  for  thirty  companies  to  serve 
one  year ;  the  men  to  choose  their  own 
company  and  regimental  officers.  Two 
companies  were  allotted  to  Chicago,  and  w 
Captain  Lyman  Mower  and  Captain  Elisha 
Wells  unfurled  the  flag  and  enrolled  the 

volunteers  who  came  forward  freely  and  soon  filled  the  ranks.  A  second 
call  was  made  in  1847,  one  regiment  only  being  required  from  Illi- 
nois, one  company  from  Chicago.  In  the  three  companies  appear  some 
well-known  names,  notably  Murray  F.  Tuley,  now  a  Circuit  Court 
Judge,  Charles  C.  P.  Holden  and  one  or  two  others.  These  were  fol- 
lowed by  other  companies  and  innumerable  scattered  enlistments;  the 
entire  number  from  Illinois  reaching  6,315. 

They  volunteered  freely,  did  their  work  well  and  suffered  severely 
in  killed  and  wounded  and  still  more  by  the  other  casualties  of  the  march 
and  the  hospitals.  Their  names  were  honored  and  cherished  for  their 
patriotic  sacrifices,  though  the  feeling  toward  them  was  necessarily  dif- 
ferent from  that  entertained  for  their  brothers-in-arms  of  fifteen  years 
later;  who  fought  not  simply  for  the  glory  of  their  land  but  for  its  very 
life. 

Hither  comes  Chicago's  canal  at  last.  Now  what  will  she  do  with 
it  ?  True,  she  has  an  opening  from  her  two-branched  streamlet  to  the 
lake ;  a  narrow,  shallow,  unstable  ditch  through  a  sandbar,  and  a  short 
pier  to  check  the  beach-sand  from  choking  it  at  once.  This  has  been 

191 


Mexican 
ar. 


192 


THK   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


CHARLES    C.     I'.    H01.DE.S. 


Previous  River 
and  Harbor 
bills. 


Folk's  veto. 


the  work  of  small  appropriations  by  Congress  in  its  annual  "  River  and 

Harbor  Bills."*  These  acts  began 
with  the  first  Congress  after  the 
adoption  of  the  Federal  constitu- 
tion, wherein  the  Nation,  from  and 
after  August  15, 1789,  assumed  care, 
support  and  control  of  "  all  light- 
houses, beacons,  buoys  and  public 
piers,  erected,  placed  or  sunk  at  the 
entrance  of  or  within  any  bay,  inlet, 
harbor  or  port  of  the  United  States, 
for  rendering  the  navigation  thereof 
easy  and  safe."  This  bill  was  signed 
by  Washington,  and  succeeding 
acts  for  like  purpose  were  signed 
by  Adams,  Jefferson  and  Madison. 
The  first  distinctively  Lake  harbor 
bill  was  signed  by  Monroe.  Other 
like  bills  were  signed  by  John 
Quincy  Adams,  Jackson  and  Van 
Buren  ;  the  appropriations  under 

the  two  latter  (both  of  them  Democrats,  and   "strict   constructionists  ") 

amounted  to  $7,800,000. 

Next  follows  the  Mexican  War 

for  slave  territory,   and  James   K. 

Polk,  of  Tennessee,  to  administer 

the  government  and  favor  the  "pe- 
culiar institution."     Polk  makes  the 

discovery  that  measures  of  this  kind 

are    both    unwise    and    unconstitu- 
tional!   The  River  and  Harbor  bill, 

passed    and    presented  to  him  for 

signature,    had  twenty-three   items 

looking  toward  our  northern   lakes 

and  rivers,  inluding  a  lump  sum  of 

$80,000    for    Racine,    Little    Fort 

*  The  appropriations  were  as  follows:  In  1833, 
$25  ooo;  in  1834,  $30,000;  in  1835,  $30,000  ;  in  1836,  $25,000; 
in  1837,  $30,000  ;  in  1838-9,  $40,000  ;  in  1842,  $30.000  ;  the 
last  expended  under  the  supervision  of  Captain  (afterwards 
General)  George  B.  McClellan.  The  constructions  were 
the  north  pier,  3,000  feet  lonp,  and  the  south  pier,  1,800  feet. 
This  year  (1846)  the  sand  had  begun  to  form  a  dangerous 
bar  outside  the  end  of  the  north  pier,  and  the  available 
channel  had  shallowed  up  to  ten  feet  and  less  of  depth 
Now  came  Folk's  veto  of  the  appropriation  needed  to  pre- 
vent it  from  closing  entirely. 


AI.KXANDKR    WOLCOTT. 


RIVER   AND   HARBOR    CONVENTION.  193 

(Waukegan),  Southport,  Milwaukee  and  Chicago.      But  he  had  his  war 
on  hand,  and  vetoed  the  bill,  saying: 

Some  of  the  objects  of  the  appropriation  are  local  in  their  character  and  lie  within  the  limits 
of  a  single  State;  and  though  in  the  language  of  the  bill  they  are  called  harbors,  they  are  not  con- 
nected with  foreign  commerce,  nor  are  they  places  of  refuge  or  shelter  for  our  navy  or  commercial 
marine  on  the  ocean  or  lake  shores.  .  . 

It  would  seem  the  dictate  of  wisdom  under  such  circumstances  to  husband  our  means  and  not 
waste  them  on  comparatively  unimportant  objects. 

One  does  not  wonder  at  the  fury  excited  by  this  insolence,  or  the 
disastrous  defeat  suffered  by  the  Democrats  in  the  next  election,  when 
Taylor  was  elected  over  Cass.  The  Chicago  "Journal  "  says  (August 

12,   1846): 

Thus  discourses  James  K.  Polk  in  his  veto  message  on  the  Harbor  bill,  and  the  sentiment  is 
an  insult  to  the  country:  "  Husband  our  means  forsooth!"  Are  not  millions  being  squandered  by 
this  same  James  K.  Polk  for  the  invasion  of  Mexico  and  the  extension  of  slavery?  Are  not  steam- 
boats  being  bought  and  chartered  daily,  at  enormous  prices,  to  enrich  his  favorite  prodigals?  Are 
not  the  Treasury  doors  unbarred  whenever  the  "  open  sesame  "  is  whispered  by  the  slave  driver?  C 
And  yet  Mr.  Polk  outrages  the  intelligence  of  the  people,  his  masters,  by  claiming,  when  a  pittance 
is  asked  for  a  great  Northern  interest,  that  we  must  "  husband  our  means."  That  the  object  for 
which  we  ask  them  is  comparatively  UNIMPORTANT!  . 

The  same  spirit  and  energy  that  forced  emancipation  of  the  whole  country  from  Great  Britain 
will  throw  off  the  Southern  yoke.  The  North  and  West  will  look  to  and  take  care  of  their  own 
interests  henceforth.  .  .  .  We  shall  see.  The  spirit  of  freedom  yet  lingers  about  Bunker  Hill, 
Bennington  and  Saratoga,  and  there  are  children  yet  living  of  the  fathers  whose  bones  are  bleaching 
there.  They  have  ever  been  willing  to  allow  more  than  justice  to  their  Southern  brethren,  but  they 
will  not  allow  them  to  be  their  masters — they  will  have  justice.  The  fiat  has  gone  forth — Southern 
rule  is  at  an  end. 

The  infant  city,  born  but  ten  years  before  these  stirring  utterances, 
evidently  came  early  to  its  voice.  Within  the  next  twenty  years  the 
spirit  of  Bunker  Hill  did  arise,  and  the  yoke  was  thrown  off. 

The  same  kind  of  irritation  was  felt  all  over  the  North.  In  New 
England  it  took  a  form  fairly  typified  by  Lowell  in  his  "  Biglow 
Papers;"  which  are  dialect  verses  like  the  following  : 

On'y  look  at  the  Demmercrats,  see  wut  they've  done 
Jest  simply  by  stickin'  together  like  fun; 
They've  sucked  us  right  into  a  mis'able  war 
Thet  no  one  on  airth  ain't  responsible  for; 

To  the  people  they're  oilers  ez  slick  ez  molasses. 
An'  butter  their  bread  on  both  sides  with  The  Masses, 
Half  o'  whom  they've  persuaded,  by  way  of  a  joke, 
Thet  Washin'ton's  mantelpiece  fell  upon  Polk. 

A  non-partisan  convention  was  called,  largely  through  the  initiative 
of  William  Moseley  Hall,*  who  from  1845  to  1848  was  agent  at  St.  Louis 
of  the  Lake  Steamboat  Association,  connecting  by  Frink  &  Walker's 
stage  lines,  and  later  by  Illinois  &  Michigan  canal  packets  with  Illinois 

•In  1882  the  Fergus  Printing  Co.  got  together  all  the  matter  in  existence  regarding  this  convention  and  pub- 
lished it  as  number  18  of  their  inestimable  "  Historical  Series."  It  forms  a  fine  book  of  200  pages  and  should  be  owned 
and  read  by  every  Chicago  man;  as  should,  in  fact,  the  whole  series.  With  it  are  printed  late  letters  of  William  Moseley 
Hall,  recalling  with  pardonable  pride  the  part  he  took  in  the  River  and  Harbor  movement.  Also  disclosing  something 
that  is  less  pleasant  to  think  of.  namely,  that  even  his  cash  outlays  ($576)  in  its  behalf  have  never  been  refunded  to 
him;  and  that  he  is  now  old  and— not  rich— he  would  be  glad  to  receive  them. 


194 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


river  steamers  to  St.  Louis.      He, 


Calling  of  the 


MAHLOX    D.    OGDEN. 


in  harmony;  for  we  see  Wentworth, 
"Journal"),  Hoyne,  Kinzie,  Sher- 
man, Newberry,  Hubbard,  Couch, 
Magie,  Alonzo  Huntington,  Peck, 
Gurley,  Frink,  Walker,  Page, 
Egan,  Brainard,  Calhoun,  Cobb, 
and  numberless  men  then  more 
newly  arrived,  though  now  (1891) 
numbered  with  the  dead,  or  classed 
with  the  others  as  "old  settlers." 

Preliminary  meetings  were 
also  held  in  Buffalo,  Michigan  Citv 

* 

and  other  places,  each  passing  res- 
olutions and  sending  delegates. 

The  great  event  was  fixed  for 
July  5,  1847.  A  grand  civic  and 
military  procession  was  the  open- 
ing function,  with  artillery  and 
infantry,  city  officials,  a  ship  on 
wheels  with  all  sail  set,  fire  depart- 
ment, citizen  societies,  etc.,  and 
bands  and  banners  innumerable.  ' 


with  our  Robert  Fergus,  William 
Duane  Wilson,  of  Milwaukee,  and 
Thomas  Sherwood,  of  Buffalo, 
called  a  meeting  at  Rathbun's  ho- 
tel in  New  York  on  September  28, 
1846,  reported  in  following  day's 
New  York  "Herald."  The  next 
step  was  a  Chicago  meeting  at  the 
Court  House  on  November  i3th, 
called  by  William  B.  Ogden,  S. 
Lisle  Smith  and  George  W.  Dole, 
and  presided  over  by  Mark  Skin- 
ner, with  E.  B.  Williams  and  B. 
W.  Raymond  as  vice-presidents, 
and  Geo.  W.  Meeker  and  Mahlon 
D.  Ogden  as  secretaries.  J.  Young 
Scammon,  Isaac  N.  Arnold  and 
Norman  B.  Judd  offered  appropri- 
ate resolutions.  Besides  those  men- 
tioned there  were  numerous  others 
soon  engaged,  all  parties  working 
Goodrich,  Manierre,  Wilson  (of  the 


THOMAS    HOYNE. 


(What  a  feature  of  those  old  days 


RIVER   AND   HARBOR   CONVENTION. 


*95 


was  the  fire  department,  with  its  shining  apparatus  and  red-shirted, 
leather-hatted  citizens!  In  the  afternoon,  at  a  competitive  show,  "Red 
Jacket"  threw  a  stream  over  the  top  of  the  public  square  flag-staff.)* 

The  procession  halted  at  Dearborn  Park  (Michigan  avenue,  Ran- 
dolph and  Washington  streets)  where  a  monster  pavilion  had  been 
erected,  capable  of  seating  5,000  people,  and  well  filled  with  delegates 
and  spectators  at  every  session. 

The  attendance  was  large  and  distinguished,  reaching  to  about  three 
thousand  delegates.  Among  them  we  find  the  names  of  Schuyler  Col- 
fax,  Abraham  Lincoln,  Anson  Burlingame,  Oliver  Newberry,  Edward 


FRANK    SHERMAN. 


PETER   PAGE. 


Attendance. 


Bates,    J.  De  P.   Ogden,    David    Dudley   Field,    Philip  Hone,    Horace 
Greeley,  Thurlow    Weed,  James  Brooks,    John    C.   Spencer,    Erastus  strangers  in 
Corning,  John  L.  Schoolcraft,  Andrew  White,  etc. 

Noteworthy  letters  were  received  from  Thomas  H.  Benton,  Silas 
Wright,  Henry  Clay,  Martin  Van  Buren,  Daniel  Webster  and  others. 
The  convention  sat  July  5th,  6th  and  yth,  and  with  much  adroitness 
avoided  the  Scylla  and  Charybdis  of  political  partizanship,  Whiggism 
and  Democracy,  which  threatened  it  on  either  hand.  This  must  have 
been  particularly  hard,  for  the  very  occasion  of  their  being  called 
together  was  a  political  act  by  a  partisan  president  whom  some  of  the 
members  supported  while  others  opposed  him. 

*  The  "  Evening  Journal "  of  the  6th  grows  fairly  incoherent  with  enthusiasm,  and  holds  forth  in  a  single  sentence 
—a  third  of  a  column  without  taking  breath— on  the  "dangers  that  throng  our  waters  and  rise  like  the  mists  from  their 
surface,  festering  in  many  a  living  heart  " 


THE  STORY   OF   CHICAGO. 


egate. 


One  little  circumstance  shows 
"  ragged  edge."  It  is  this:  David 
Dudley  Field,  a  distinguished  New 
m  a  Dei-  York  Democrat,  addressed  the  con- 
vention  on  Tuesday,  and  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day  a  resolu- 
tion was  passed  which  expressed 
regret  at  "the  ill-feeling  which  had 
been  evinced  while  Mr.  Field  was 
speaking";  and  pledged  the  conven- 
tion to  regard,  in  future,  the  rights 
of  all  members  who  should  confine 
themselves  to  the  rules.  Later  in 
the  same  session  this  entry  appears: 
"Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illinois, 
being  called  upon,  addressed  the 
convention  briefly," 

Horace  Greeley,  in  his  letter 
written  that  evening  to  the  New 
York  "Tribune"  expressed  himself 
as  follows  : 


how   near    they  hovered   to   the 


Horace 
Greeley. 


ALONZO    HUNTINGTON. 


Hon.  Andrew  Stewart,  of   Pennsylvania,  was  next  called  out  and  made  a  vigorous  and  ani- 
mated speech  in  favor  o*   Internal   Improvement.         .         .         It  pleased  right  well  a  majority  of 

the  convention,  but  brought  up  in  opposition  Mr. 
David  Dudley  Field,  of  our  city,  who  favored  us 
with  an  able  and  courteous  speech  in  favor  of 
"  strict  construction."  .  .  He  denied  the 
right  of  the  Federal  Government  to  improve  the 
navigation  of  the  Illinois  river,  since  it  runs 
through  a  single  state  only,  or  of  the  Hudson 
above  a  port  of  entry.  The  convention,  or  rather 
a  portion  of  its  members,  manifested  consider- 
able impatience  during  the  latter  portion  of  this 
speech,  which  is  to  be  regretted,  for  Mr.  Field 
was  perfectly  courteous  and  not  at  all  tedious. 
For  my  part  I  rejoiced  that  the  wrong  side  of  the 
question  was  so  clearly  set  forth.  When  he  had 
concluded  the  convention  adjourned  to  dinner. 
In  the  afternoon  Hon.  Abraham  Lincoln,  a 
tall  specimen  of  an  Illinoisan,  just  elected  to  Con- 
gress from  the  only  Whig  district  in  the  State, 
spoke  briefly  and  happily  in  reply  to  Mr.  Field. 

Mr.  Greeley's  whole  letter  is 
delightful  reading,  full  of  jest  and 
anecdote,  poetical  quotations, 
good-natured  thrusts  at  his  oppo- 
nents and  serious 
against  the  position  then  widely  held — though  it  now  seems  to 


THOMAS  CHURCH.       (Health  Officer.) 


arguments 


us 


RIVER   AND  HARBOR    CONVENTION. 


'97 


absurd — that  it  was  only  foreign  and  strictly  inter-state  commerce  which 
the  Government  had  a  right  to  help  by  light-houses  and  river  and 
harbor  improvements. 

Thurlow  Weed  also  wrote 
capital  letters  to  the  Albany 
"  Evening  Journal."  With  all 
the  vigor  of  capitals  and  ex- 
clamation points,  he  boasts  of 
coming  "  from  Albany  to 
Detroit  (nearly  700  miles)  in 
FIFTY-ONE  HOURS!"  and  adds, 
"We  are,  they  tell  us,  the 
only  persons  who  ever  per- 
formed the  journey  in  so  short 
a  time."  He  reports  several 
speeches,  but  unhappily  not 
Lincoln's.  Tom  Corwin's  is 
a  gem  of  fun  and  sarcasm. 
Turning  to  Mr.  Wentworth, 
Representative  in  Congress 
from  this  district,  he  continued: 
"Gentlemen;  when  he  and  I 
can  agree  on  any  subject,  there 
must  be  harmony:  I  might  say 
that  the  gentleman  is  latitudi- 

narian  on  the  subject;  perhaps  this  is  owing  to  his  longitude.  He  goes 
his  whole  length."  Horace  Greeley  must  have  been  pleasant  to  listen  to; 
Mr.  Weed  reports  him  as  saying  that  he  had  cherished  the  hope  that  his 
reputation  as  a  bad  speaker  had  become  national,  and  regretted  to  dis- 
cover it  had  been  only  local.  .  .  .  He  was  accustomed  to  look  to  theThurlow 
results  of  such  meetings  as  these.  His  ears  heard  coldly  the  shouts 
which  ascended  in  commemoration  of  victorious  battles,  but  he  loved  to 
hear  the  triumphs  of  such  victories  as  the  Erie  and  Welland  Canals. 

Weed  prophecies  that  in  ten  years  Chicago  will  exceed  Albany 
He  says  they  rode  out  a  few  miles  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  prairies. 

We  found  the  road  all  the  way  occupied  with  an  almost  unbroken  line  of  wagons,  drawn  gen- 
erally by  two  yokes  of  oxen.  These  teams  are  called  "  prairie  schooners."  Felix  Grundy  McCon- 
nell,  among  his  last  acts,  asked  the  House  of  Representatives  to  "  Resolve,  that  this  is  a  great  country 
and  constantly  increasing."  One  needs  to  visit  Chicago  to  realize  and  confess  that  the  proposition 
is  one  of  undeniable  truth. 

It  is  said  here  that  the  article  in  the  Union  [Washington]  throwing  cold  water  on  the  conven- 
tion, kept  Senators  Breese  and  Douglas,  with  other  leading  Locofocos,  away.  But  a  large  number  of 
the  "  bone  and  sinew  "  of  the  Democracy  of  the  West  are  here. 


Weed's 

account. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  Resolu 
tions. 


A  noteworthy  incident  in  the  convention  is  the  deep  and  strong 
impression  made  by  its  chairman,  Edward  Bates,  of  Missouri.  He  was 
unknown,  and  when  his  name  was  proposed  to  the  meeting  for  its  chair- 
man, a  buzz  of  questioning  went  around:  "Who  is  he?"  But  at  the 
close  of  the  proceedings  he  made  a  speech  of  such  high  and  fervid 
eloquence  as  to  do  what  it  is  rare  for  a  single  utterance  to  effect,  namely 
^^^^^^^  make  his  name  and  fame  suddenly 

^^^01  9^^  conspicuous.      Judge    Caton   was 

absent  from  the  convention,  hold- 
ing court  elsewhere,  but  he  well 
remembers  that  "  Bates'  speech  " 
was  the  theme  of  talk  all  over  the 
State.  Thurlow  Weed  says  : 

When  the  labors  of  the  convention  closed, 
and  six  hearty,  spontaneous  cheers  rent  the  air 
in  honor  of  their  president,  more  than  four  thou- 
sand delegates  separated  to  return  home  and 
speak  of  Edward  Bates  with  enthusiasm  as  one 
of  the  ablest  and  most  eloquent  men  they  had 
ever  heard.  It  was  the  occasion  of  deep  and 
universal  regret  that  his  masterly  speech  was 
not  reported.  It  was  made  at  the  close  of  the 
session,  when  some  of  the  reporters  had  retired 
and  others  had  put  away  their  materials.  After 
Mr.  Bates  was  fairly  on  his  feet,  all  were  too 
intent  and  absorbed  as  listeners,  to  think  of 
reporting. 

The  achievement  of  the  convention  was,  naturally,  the  passage  of 
a  series  of  resolutions,  submitted  "to  their  fellow-citizens  and  to  the 
Federal  government."  The  gist  of  the  resolutions  was  that  river  and 
harbor  improvements  were  within  the  c6nstitutional  scope  of  the  Fed- 
eral power,  wherever  the  interests  of  two  or  more  States  were  involved, 
and  being  within  Federal  jurisdiction  they  were  excluded  from  State 
interference;  that  hitherto  the  interior  interests  had  not  had  care  pro- 
portioned to  that  given  to  the  seaboard;  that  the  time  had  come  when 
this  should  be  rectified;  and  that  the  convention  disavowed  any  attempt 
to  connect  its  objects  with  the  fortunes  of  any  political  party.  Then 
an  executive  committee  was  appointed  to  make  known  to  Congress  the 
principles  and  views  of  the  convention. 

Chicago  then  contained  16,000  inhabitants,  and  Thurlow  hazarded 
the  following  glowing  prediction  :  "  On  the  shores  of  these  lakes  [Erie, 
St.  Clair,  Huron  and  Michigan]  is  an  extent  of  country  capable  of  sup- 
porting and  destined  to  receive,  in  the  course  of  half  a  century,  at  least 

*  Mr.  Bates  was  a  member  of  Congress  from  Missouri  in  1825.  He  seems  to  have  been  one  of  those  fine  Ameri- 
cans, the  Whigs  from  slave  States;  a  class  of  men  independent,  able,  influential  and  respected,  but  soon  left  in  the  lurch 
by  their  constituents. 


CYRUS   P.    BRADLEY. 
Health  Officer  and  Fire  Marshal. 


RIVER   AND   HARBOR   CONVENTION. 


I99 


a  quarter  of  a  million  inhabitants."     It  does  seem  incredible  that  a  man 
like  Weed,  speaking  in  1847,  should  have  limited  the  number  of  persons  Wecd,s 
in  "the  extent  of  country"  on  all  the  shores  of  all  these  lakes,  in  1897,    mislake- 
to  250,000!      The  fact  will  be  about  fifty  times  the  estimate. 

Such  was  the  great  River  and  Harbor  Convention.  The  "  Journal " 
was  always  loudly  urging  it  to  "deeds,  not  words,"  but  words  like  these, 
uttered  as  these  were,  are  deeds. 
The  following  Congress,  however, 
did  nothing,  and  it  was  not  until 
1852  that  the  next  appropriation 
was  made,  when  Congress  allotted 
$20,000  to  be  used  on  the  inner 
harbor.  It  is  probable  that  the 
great  flood  of  1 849  swept  away  so 
much  sand  that  the  threatened 
closing  up  of  the  channel  was 
averted  for  some  years  to  follow. 

From  1848  to  1854  the  Govern- 
ment work  at  Chicago  was  under 
the  able  and  upright  charge  of 
Lieutenant  (afterward  General) 
Joseph  D.  Webster.  Lieutenant 
Webster  married  one  of  Chicago's 
most  beautiful  women,  Miss  Ann  E. 
Wright,  and  from  that  time  forward 

.....  .  .  GENERAL   JOSEPH    IX    WEBSTER. 

to  his  death  in  1878  remairfed  one 

of  its  favorite  citizens.  During  the  Union  War  he  was  a  soldier  dis- 
tinguished for  his  services,  especially  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  where  as 
Chief  of  Artillery  on  Grant's  staff  he  massed  the  guns  in  such  a  manner  General 

*  .  .   .  ,  .  Webster. 

as  to  serve  a  good  purpose  in  checking  the  enemy  s  triumphant  advance 
at  the  close  of  the  first  day's  fight.  Whether  in  war  or  in  peace,  he  was 
a  blessing  to  his  country  and  an  ornament  to  his  city.  Of  him  it  may 
be  truly  said :  .,  None  knew  him  but  to  love  him 

None  named  him   but  to  praise." 

William  Moseley  Hall,  who  had  taken  the  initiative  in  assembling 
the  convention  wished  to  get  it  to  give  its  advocacy  and  approval  to 
George  Wilkes's  plan  for  a  national  railroad  to  the  Pacific.  He  was 
overruled  in  this;  but  after  adjournment  a  special  meeting  was  called  at 
which  a  vast  audience  listened  to  an  excellent  speech  from  him  upon 
the  subject,  and  adopted  his  resolutions.  It  is  doubtful,  however,  if  the 
State  at  large,  with  its  recent  experience  of  State  railroad  building, 
would  have  considered  favorably  any  plan  having  more  of  it  in  view. 


2OO 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Later  events  have  thrown  such  a  halo  about  the  name  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  that  we  hail  his  bodily  appearance  on  the  stage  of  our 
city's  history  with  a  thrill  and  a  quickening  of  the  pulse.  Even  so 
slight  a  part  as  he  took  in  the  canal  convention  becomes  moment- 
ous. We  would  give  much  to 
know  the  very  words  he  uttered 
about  our  city  and  its  future,  our 
lake  and  harbor,  our  rights  under 
the  law  and  constitution;  although 
those  words  seemed  to  their  hearers 
not  worth  reporting. 

The  nearest  approach  to  a 
real  view  of  the  unpretending  per- 
sonality then  on  his  way  to  un- 
measured greatness  is  a  picture 
taken  about  ten  years  later,  in 
Chicago,  by  a  man  still  living  and 
plying  his  trade  among  us,  Alex- 
ander Hesler.  As  will  be  noticed, 
the  picture  is  of  the  roughest,  both 
as  to  subject  and  to  artistic  appear- 
ance (being  a  late  copy  from  a  very 
old  plate),  but  it  is  left  with  all  its 
marks  of  age  and  authenticity. 
The  picture  is  obtained  from  Mr.  Hesler,  with  an  interesting  little 
tale  about  its  origin.  It  was  in  1857  that  Mr.  Lincoln  began  to  be 
famous  as  the  standard-bearer  of  Northern  sentiment  in  the  West.  He 
happened  to  be  in  Chicago  and  some  of  his  lawyer  friends  came  to  Hes- 
ler's  studio  and  told  the  photographer  that  Abe  couldn't  afford  to  pay  for 
his  picture,  but  if  he  would  take  it  they  would  each  buy  one,  and  perhaps 
he  wouldn't  lose  anything  by  it  in  the  long  run.  He  consented  and  Lin- 
coln came.  "  He  was  the  greenest  specimen  of  a  country  lawyer  I  had 
ever  seen.  He  had  been  to  a  barber  and  his  hair  was  plastered  clear 
down  over  one  side  of  his  forehead  to  his  eye-brow.  I  ran  my  hands  up 
through  it  on  each  side — the  way  you  see  it — and  he  said:  '  That's  better. 
My  folks  would  never  know  it  for  me  the  way  the  barber  had  fixed  it.'" 
Mr.  Hesler  afterward  reduced  the  picture  to  about  the  size  of  a 
postage  stamp,  and  prepared  it  with  a  gummed  back  to  attach  it  to  let 
ters,  circulars,  etc.,  and  did  an  immense  business  with  it.  He  received 
one  order  from  Boston  for  200,000  of  them,  and  in  three  days  had  it 
filled  and  dispatched.  He  is  still  in  business  (70  State  Street)  and 
keeps  a  large  variety  of  historic  views,  beside  his  regular  portrait  studio. 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


LAND-TRAVEL    AND    WATER-TRAVEL. 

'ATER  is  a  good  thing  in  its  place,  else  the 
canal  would  not  have  been  begun  in  hope 
in  1832,  carried  on  in  hardship  for  the 
next  sixteen  years,  and  finished  in  triumph 
in  1848.  The  grand  opening  on  April  i6th 
of  the  latter  year  has  already  been  de- 
scribed. During  that  season  its  operation 
(in  spite  of  deficient  equipment,  scarcity 
of  water,  and  a  leaky  stretch  between  Jol- 
iet  and  the  Dupage!)  was  more  than  had 
been  hoped.  Tolls  collected  at  Chicago 
were  $52,000;  at  La  Salle,  $35,000,  to 
which  should  be  added  other  tolls,  and 
$400,000  received  from  sale  of  lots  in  the  "canal  trustees'  subdivisions" 
in  Chicago. 

The  trustees,  under  whose  good  management  the  canal  went  on 
from  May,  1845  to  November,  1848,  received  $1,949,042  during  that 
time,  and  paid  out  $1,719,859.  Times  were  again  good  and 
plenty.  Sales  of  lands  and  lots  were  enormous.  In  the  decade  which 
followed  the  opening,  the  total  receipts  from  all  sources  were  about 
$7,000,000,  half  of  it  from  land  sales.  Captain  Andreas  gives  the  fol- 
lowing figures  from  the  work  done  by  the  boats:  Wheat,  five  and  a 
half  million  bushels;  corn,  twenty-six  million  bushels;  pork,  twenty-seven 
million  pounds;  lumber,  five  hundred  and  sixty-three  million  feet,  and 
coal,  fifty  thousand  tons. 

Quietly,  however,  an  enterprise  took  root  and  began  to  grow,  which 
in  its  maturity  was  destined  to  dwarf  even  the  canal  to  comparative 
insignificance. 

On  October  10,  1848,  there  was  landed  from  the  brig  "  Buffalo,"  a 
small,  nameless  engine,  the  first  of  the  mighty  army  of  iron  giants  which 
have  made  Chicago.  The  machine,  or  its  rusty  carcase,  is  still  in  exist- 
ence here  in  the  city  which  it  has  helped  to  build  ;  and  more  than 
one  of  the  men  who  unloaded  it  from  its  marine  conveyance  are  still 
among  us.  The  anonymous  little  stranger  weighed  ten  tons,  h?d  been 
built  by  Baldwin,  the  veteran  Philadelphian  engine  builder,  for  the 
contractors  on  the  Rochester  &  Tonawanda  Railroad  in  New  York  and 

used  by  them. 

aoi 


money  opening  bus- 
inessonthe 


202 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  unloaders  were  John  Ebbert,  Redmond  Prindiville,  Wells  Lake, 
George  W.  Waite  and  George  C.  Morgan.  Of  these  the  first  two  are 
known  to  be  still  living  (1891).  John  Ebbert  was  master  mechanic  of 
the  road  for  many  years,  and  is  now  out  of  business.  Mr.  Prindiville  is 
a  leading  business  man,  full  of  vigor  in  body  and  mind.  He  remem- 
bers the  arrival  of  the  strange  new  engine,  and  his  own  share,  he  was 
the  youngest  of  the  party,  in  giving  her  to  Chicago  soil.  She  looked  big, 
though  but  a  little  thing  compared  with  the  leviathans  of  later  days.  She 


•'The  first  en- 
gine that  ever 
turneda  wheel 
in  Chicago." 


FIRST   LOCOMOTIVE,   THE   "  PIONEER,"  AS   SHE   IS   iN    189! 

had  but  two  driving-wheels  instead  of  the  four,  six  or  eight  now  used. 
Having  what  was  called  "inside  connections,"  her  cylinders  (9  by  14 
inches)  were  set  at  an  angle  up  against  the  boiler.  She  was  in  good 
order;  smoke-stack  housed  and  "bright-work"  covered  with  tallow. 

She  was  lodged  on  deck,  crosswise  of  the  brig.  The  landing 
place  was  the  Railroad  yard,  west  side  of  the  North  Branch,  just  south 
of  Kinzie  Street ;  and  there  were  plenty  of  timbers  and  ties  at  hand,  and 
jack-screws  to  do  the  lifting ;  so  they  jacked  her  up  level  with  the  rail, 
laid  a  track  from  deck  to  dock  (where  a  track  had  been  laid  ready  to 
receive  her)  and  easily  ran  her  ashore  on  her  own  wheels,  and  pushed 
her  out  to  the  little  machine-shed  where  Ebbert  (engine-driver  as  well 
as  master-mechanic  of  the  road)  put  her  in  shape  and  lighted  her  fires 
for  the  first  time,  next  day.  The  job  was  not  a  hard  one  and  took  less 
than  the  whole  of  that  bright  autumn  Sunday — a  great  day  for  us  to 
look  back  upon. 


LAND-TRAVEL  AND    WATER-TRAVEL. 


203 


She  was  not  christened  for  a  long  time  afterward.  When  the  rail- 
way got  more  engines,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  be  able  to  distinguish 
them,  John  Van  Nortwick  (presi- 
dent) asked  what  she  should  be 
called.  "  Call  her  the  Pioneer,  of 
course,"  said  Prindiville,  and  Pio- 
neer she  was  and  is,  and  should  be 
for  centuries  to  come.  One  of  our 
parks  should  have  her,  set  in  a  glass 
case  and  attended  more  carefully 
than  any  white  elephant  that  ever 
was  knelt  before  in  the  Royal  Tem- 
ple at  Bangkok. 

The  "Galena  &  Chicago  Union 
Railway,"  as  Chicago's  first  oper- 
ating road  was  named,  runs  in  a 
straight  line  west  from  its  Kinzie 
street  station  to  the  Desplaines. 
It  is  said  that  at  the  time  of  the 
first  survey,  which  was  made  (1837) 
by  James  Seymour,  the  surveyors  waded  sometimes  in  deep  water. 

Augustus  Burley  says  that  it  was 
thought  necessary  to  lay  the  road 
on  piles,  and  that  the  road-bed  was 
so  constructed  for  some  miles,  he 
himself  having  seen  long  lines  of 
the  pile-heads  sticking  out  of  the 
ground  in  places  where  is  now  dry 
land, covered  with  buildings.  These 
things  illustrate  the  change  which 
has  been  wrought  in  the  character 
of  the  region  by  the  institution  of  a 
great  system  of  sewerage.  * 

The  stretch  of  road  first  built 
(and  for  a  very  long  time  it  seemed 
doubtful  if  any  more  ever  would 
be  built),  was  from  Kinzie  street 
to  Oak  Ridge,  eight  miles  west, 


REDMOND  PRINDIVILLE. 


The  '  Pioneer.1 


Running   a 
railroad  line 
through  the 
water. 


JOHN  EDBF.RT. 
and  we  were  glad  at  night  to  reach  the  hotel  at  Barry's  Point  and  dry  ourselves  by  the  large  fireplace." 


•Mr.  Seymour  says  (Fergus' Hist.  Series  No.  16): 
"  We  began  our  survey  at  the  foot  of  Dearborn  street 
[North  Side]  and  ran  three  lines  nearly  due  west  to  the 
Desplaines  river.  Much  of  ihe  time  we  waded  in  water, 


204 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


JAMES   CURTIS. 
(Mayor  in  1847) 


and  two  miles  further  to  the  Desplaines,  where  there  was  yet  no  bridge 

or  station.  The  entire  equipment 
consisted  of  five  flat  cars,  one  box 
car  and  the  Pioneer.  On  Novem- 
ber 2Oth,  by  invitation  of  the  direct- 
ors, a  number  of  stockholders, 
newspaper  men  and  friends  of  the 
enterprise  to  'the  number  of  about 
a  hundred  took  a  "flying  trip"  on 
the  primitive  train,  which  had  been 
provided  with  temporary  seats.  A 
crowd  assembled  at  the  starting 
point  to  admire  the  spectacle.  At 
the  western  terminus  (ten  miles 
out)  a  farmer's  wagon  with  a  load 
of  wheat  was  in  waiting;  the  wheat 
was  taken  on  board  and  constituted 
the  first  installment  of  the  vast  flood 
of  farm,  mine  and  forest  products 
which  has  entered  Chicago  by  rail  ; 
a  mass  nearly  large  enough  to  bury 

the  great  city  above  its  roofs  and  spires  if  it  were  all  here  at  one  time. 
Captain  Andreas  says: 

About  a  week  after  the  line  was  opened   for 

Galena  Railroad  traffic  the  business  men  of  Chicago  were  electrified 
begmstorun.  by  the  announcement  that  over  thirty  loads  of 
wheat  were  at  the  Desplaines  river  waiting  to  be 
transported  tothe  city.  (!)  The  expected  receipts 
of  the  road  would  amount  to  $15  per  day  all  win- 
ter. (!)  Wheat-buyers  were  informed  (partly  with 
the  view  of  increasing  the  passenger  traffic)  that 
they  must  now  take  their  station  at  the  Desplaines 
river  instead  of  at  the  Randolph  street  bridge. 
The  total  earnings  of  the  road  from  the  com- 
mencement of  business  in  January,  to  December  I, 

1849.  were  $23,763.74.     From    December    I,   1849 
to    December  I,  1850,    $104,359.62.     By  January, 

1850,  the  main  line  had  been  extended  to  Elgin, 
forty-two  miles  west  of  Chicago,  which,  with  side- 
tracks, gave  a  roadway  of  forty-four  miles.     The 
amount  expended  on  this  superstructure  was  $164,- 
131.87. 

Mr.  Prindiville  says  that  as  long 
as  the  road  only  reached  the  Des- 
plaines it  was  "  hard  sledding,"  be- 
cause a  farmer  who  had  hauled  his 
grain  perhaps  fifty  miles  already 
would  not  give  it  to  a  railroad  to  haul  it  the  last  ten.  These  were  the 


GEORGE  W.  DOLE. 


LAND-TRAVEL   AND    WATER-TRAVEL. 


2C5 


trying  times.  All  the  cash  was  gone,  and  the  road  partly  done  and  not 
earning  expenses !  But,  as  usual  in  Chicago,  when  things  look  darkest 
it  is  nearest  dawn.  J.  Young  Scammon,  in  his  memoir  of  William  B. 
Ogden  (Fergus'  Hist.  Series,  No.  17),  says: 

A  meeting  of  the  directors  was  called.     It   looked   blue.     To   go  ahead  would   endanger  the 

stock.       Mr.   Ogden    was  embarrassed Most  of    the  other  directors   were   fearful. 

Thomas  Dyer  lost  faith.     The  writer  called  him  a  doubting  Thomas A  committee  was 

appointed  consisting  of  Scammon,  Collins,  Walker,  Dyer  and  Raymond,  to  have  charge  of  the  sub- 
ject. This  committee  gave  the  writer  carte-blanche.  He  applied  to  George  Smith,  the  only  banker 
in  the  place  who  could  make  such  a  loan,  for  $20,000,  for  six  months,  to  enable  him  to  go  on  with 
the  road.  Mr.  Smith  declined.  He  was  asked  why;  if  he  had  not  the  money.  He  replied,  "  Yes, 
but  I  do  not  wish  to  lose  it.  I  have  no  confidence  in  the  road.  .  .  .  Mr.  Scammon,  I  will  lend 
you  the  money.  Make  out  your  note."  The  writer  did  so,  and  the  money  was  placed  in  the  treas- 
ury of  the  company,  no  other  person  in  the  road  except  those  connected  with  the  loan  and  the  treas- 
urer, Frank  Howe,  knowing  whence  it  came.  .  .  .  The  road  was  pushed  on  and  completed  to 
Elgin.  ...  It  did  not  cost  much  money  in  those  days  to  build  a  flat  railroad  on  level  land. 

As  soon  as  the  road 
was  completed  to  Elgin  it 
began  to  be  profitable,  and 
from  June,  1849,  to  April, 
1850,  it  earned  $48,331,  with 
operating  expenses  only 
$18,519;  less  than  forty  per 
cent. 

The  shrewdness  of  the 
"grangers"  along  the  line 
may  be  judged  from  the 
prophecies  of  some  of  them: 
"The  landlord  told  us  he 
was  against  railroads.  They 
were  bad  things  for  farmers 
and  hotel-keepers,  but  good 
for  big  fellows  at  the  ends 
of  the  road."  Another  de- 
nounced railroads  as  "  un- 
democratic institutions  that 
would  ride  rough-shod  over 
the  people  and  grind  them 
to  powder.  " 

Water,  so  good  as  a  servant,  is  terrible  as  a  master  The  flood  of 
1849  has  already  been  mentioned.  That  was  a  spring  of  floods,  when 
the  heavens  were  opened  and  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  broken  up. 
A  New  York  girl,  now  a  Chicago  matron,  happened  to  be  one  of  a 
party  who,  in  May  and  June,  made  the  trip  —  then  rare — in  steam- 
boats down  the  Ohio  to  Cairo,  up  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis,  and 


$20,000  from 
George  Smith. 


J.    YOUNG   SCAMMON. 


High  Water  all 
over  the  West. 


2O6 


THE   STOK  Y   OF  CHICAGO. 


The  old  Portage 
overflowed. 


of^llic 
-cai[o. 


thence  up  to  Peru  on  the  Illinois  river,  where  they  took  a  canal-packet 
for  Chicago.  At  Cairo  they  saw  a  whole  village  of  houses  standing  in 
water  up  to  their  second  stories.  On  the  Mississippi  there  were  houses 
floating  down  stream,  one  of  them  with  a  live  cat  clinging  to  its  ridge- 
pole. The  voyage  on  the  canal  was  delightful.  Colonel  E.  D.  Baker  was 
on  board,  handsome  and  dignified,  the  young  girl's  beau  ideal  of  a  hero. 
"Oliver  Twist  "  had  just  come  out,  she  was  reading  it  and  Colonel 
Baker  talked  with  her  about  it  ;  a  circumstance  never  to  be  forgotten. 
"The  portage,"  the  ancient  water-way  between  Lake  Michigan 
and  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  byway  of  -Mud  Lake  and  the  Des. 
plaines,  once  more  took  on  the  aspect  described  by  Joliet  when  at  high 
water  one  could  pass  from  lake  to  river  without  leaving  the  canoe.  The 
Desplaines  was  wild  and  out  of  all  bounds.  It  poured  its  floods  east- 
ward over  the  divide  at  Summit  and  into  the  South  Branch  until  that, 

too,  took  the  bit  in  its  teeth  and 
galloped  lakeward  like  a  sea-horse 
with  waving  mane.  A  momentary 
bar  to  its  wild  career  was  the  ice 
which  covered  the  river  and 
wrapped  each  vessel  and  floating 
thing  in  its  close  embrace.  But 
the  stronger  'the  dam  and  the 
longer  the  delay,  the  greater  the 
rush  when  at  last  the  waters  tore 
themselves  free.  The  beast  gath- 
ered weight  and  strength  by  what 
it  swallowed.  On  a  small  scale, 
and  due  to  another  of  the  elements, 
it  was  a  foretaste  of  the  wild  rush 
of  winged  destruction  which  swept 
the  city  (moving  in  the  same 
direction,  by  the  way)  some  twenty- 
one  years  later  :  namely,  on  Oc- 
tober 8th  and  gth,  1871. 
Mr.  Rufus  Blanchard  says  ("  Northwest,"  p.  566): 

The  river  soon  began  to  swell,  the  waters  lifting  the  ice  to  within  two  or  three  feet  of  the  sur. 
face  of  the  wharves.  Between  9  and  10  A.  M.  loud  reports  as  of  distant  artillery  were  heard  toward 
the  South,  as  if  the  ice  were  breaking  up.  Soon  to  these  were  added  the  sounds  of  crashing  timbers; 
n  ChU  °^  nawsers  tearing  away  the  piles  around  which  they  were  vainly  fastened,  or  snapping  like  pack- 
thread  on  account  of  the  strain  upon  them.  To  these  succeeded  the  cries  of  people  calling  to  the 
parties  in  charge  of  the  vessels  and  canal  boats  to  escape  before  it  would  be  too  late  ;  while  nearly 
all  the  males  and  hundreds  of  the  female  population  hurried  from  their  homes  to  the  banks  of  the 
river,  to  witness  what  was  by  this  time  inevitable  —  a  catastrophe  such  as  the  city  never  before  sus- 
tained. 


A.  c.  WOOD. 
(Builder  of   Old  St.  James  Church  ) 


LAND-TRAVEL   AND    WATER    TRAVEL.  207 

It  was  not  long  before  every  vessel  and  canal  boat  on  the  South  Branch  .  .  was  swept 
with  resistless  force  toward  the  lake.  As  fast  as  the  channel  at  one  spot  became  crowded  with  ice 
and  vessels  intermingled,  the  whole  mass  would  dam  up  the  water,  which,  rising  in  the  rear  of  the 
obstruction,  would  propel  vessels  and  ice  forward  with  the  force  of  an  enormous  catapult.  Every 
lightly  built  vessel  would  at  once  be  crushed  as  if  it  were  an  eggshell  ;  canal  boats  disappeared  from 
sight  under  the  gorge  of  ships  and  ice,  and  came  into  view  below  it  in  small  pieces,  strewing  the 
surface  of  the  boiling  water. 

At  length  a  number  of  vessels  were  violently  precipitated  against  Randolph  Street  Bridge,  which 
was  torn  from  its  place  in  a  few  seconds,  forcing  its  way  into  the  main  channel  of  the  river.  The 
gorge  of  natural  and  artifical  materials — ice  and  wood  and  iron — kept  on  its  resistless  way  to  the 
principal  bridge  in  the  city — the  Clark  street.  This  had  been  constructed  on  piles  and  it  was  sup- 
posed would  prevent  the  vessels  already  caught  up  by  the  ice  from  being  swept  out  into  the  lake. 
But  .  .  .  the  moment  this  accumulated  material  struck  the  bridge  it  was  swept  to  utter  destruc- 
tion, and  with  a  crash  the  noise  of  which  could  be  heard  all  over  the  city;  while  the  ice  below  it 
broke  up  with  reports  as  if  from  a  whole  park  of  artillery. 

This  graphic  picture  leaves  out  Madison  street  and  Wells  street 
bridges,  yet  we  know  that  they  went  with  the  rest.  Perhaps,  being 
mere  "  float"  bridges  they  did  not  make  even  a  ripple  on  the  torrent. 
At  the  place  where  the  river,  east  of  State  street,  bends  to  the  north- 
ward, a  new  jam  occurred,  held  by  the  ice  in  the  curve,  and  the  stronger 
vessels  which  had  withstood  the  pressure  higher  up.  Mr.  Blanchard 
says  that  several  canal  boats  and,  in  one  instance,  a  schooner  with  rig- 
ging all  standing,  were  sucked  under  the  jam,  only  to  reappear  in  frag- 
ments below.  The  ice  that  held  the  entangled  craft  soon  broke  away, 
and,  as  the  way  out  to  seaward  now  was  clear,  several  bold  men,  armed  Accidents  am) 
with  axes,  made  their  way  out  to  mid-stream,  cut  the  vessels  loose  from  the'nSSd.0' 
the  gorge  and  let  them  drift  on  to  clear  water  and  safety.  He  names 
R.  C.  Bristol,  Alvin  Calhoun,  Cyrus  Bradley  and  Darius  Knights  as 
prominent,  and  says  that  some  ten  or  twelve  large  craft  floated  down 
the  stream,  their  preservers  proudly  acknowledging  the  cheers  of  the 
crowds  on  shore.  The  vessels  either  caught  on  to  the  lake  piers,  by 
hawsers,  or  were  brought  up  by  dropping  their  anchors. 

The  "  Journal "  states  the  number  of  craft  in  port  as  follows:  four 
steamers,  six  propellers,  twenty-four  brigs,  two  sloops  and  fifty-seven 
canal  boats.  There  >was  some  loss  of  life.  A  boy  was  crushed  to  death 
at  Randolph  street  bridge  and  a  little  girl  was  killed  by  the  falling  of  a 
topmast.  A  son  of  Mr.  Coombs  was  lost  at  Madison  street  bridge; 
James  L.  Millard  had  his  leg  badly  broken  on  board  his  vessel;  one  poor 
fellow  on  a  canal  boat  out  on  the  lake  waved  his  handkerchief  as  a  sig- 
nal of  distress,  but  there  was  no  boat  which  could  go  to  his  rescue; 
the  vessels  being  disabled  in  their  rigging  and  the  steamers  in  their 
machinery.  The  losses  were  stated  by  the  "  Democrat"  as  follows: 

Damage  to  the  City  (bridges,  etc.) $  I5,''°o 

"Vessels 58,000  Losses. 

"  Canal  boats 30,000 

"  Wharves • 5,°oo 

$108.000 


208 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


LAND-TRAVEL    AND    WATER-TRAVEL. 


209 


The  losses  seem  to  us  rather  trivial,  seeing  that  a  single  bridge  or 
vessel  of  these  latter  days  might  well  exceed  their  total.  The  statistics 
of  craft  in  port  are  interesting,  showing  as  they  do  the  proportions  of 
which  our  marine  was  then  composed.  The  great  invention  of  John 
Ericsson — the  propeller — was  already  making  its  slow  but  sure  progress 
toward  the  dominion  of  the  waves. 

The  regular  river  crossings  being  all  destroyed,  passengers  made 
their  way  over  the  wreckage,  which  the  "Democrat"  of  March  i4th  calls 
"one  of  the  most  costly  bridges  ever  constructed  in  the  West,  and  the 
only  one  Chicago  now  boasts  of.  ...  Many  ladies  were  not  afraid 
to  venture  over  this  novel  causeway,  beneath  which  the  water  roared, 
falling  in  cascades  from  one  obstruction  to  another;  the  whole  forming  Ac08"ybridse' 
perhaps  the  most  exciting  scene  ever  witnessed  here."  The  "Journal" 
says,  "  No  mails  left  the  city  last  night.  All  egress  is  prevented  by 

high  water  and  impassable  roads." 
Now  followed  necessarily  a 
partial  embargo  of  North,  South 
and  West  Sides  as  to  each  other. 
Numerous  volunteer  ferries  sprung 
up;  boats  paddling  across  carrying 
passengers  at  one  cent  each.  A 
canal  boat  spanned  the  south 
branch  at  Randolph  street  and  a 
schooner  at  Clark  street,  which 
allowed  foot  passage  at  the  same 
rate.  Scranton's  old  ferry  at  State 
street  was  at  once  re-established, 
and  between  the  Lake  House  and 
the  fort  the  old  rope  ferry  (which 
many  of  us  remember  as  still  run- 
ning in  1857)  ran  gaily  and  freely 
as  usual.  About  this  primitive 
institution  the  "Democrat"  of 
JUDGE  HAMMOND.  December  1 2,  1848,  says  : 

Sometimes,  the  wind  blowing  strong  up  the  creek,  a  brig  comes  along  with  foresail,  topgallant 
and  jib  set  An  impatient  citizen  is  on  the  South  Side,  with  visions  of  roast  beef  and  dessert  to 
match  in  his  mind's  eye.  Bill  sees  the  brig.  The  captain  halloos,  "  Let  go  your  d — d  rope."  The 
citizen  cries  :  "  Come  over,  you've  got  time  enough."  But  Bill  thinks  "  It's  better  to  be  sure  of  the 
line  ;  if  that  breaks,  the  gentleman  loses  his  dinner  and  I  may  lose  my  place  "  So  he  lets  go  all  and  Ferry, 
the  impatient  citizen  has  to  wait  just  two  minutes  and  a  half,  at  which  he  grumbles  some  when  Bill 
runs  the  old  boat's  nose  ashore  and  gives  him  a  chance  to  step  aboard,  but  Bill  takes  it  coolly.  With 
the  consciousness  of  having  done  his  duty  he  lets  the  landsman  "have  his  pipe  out,"  as  he  can 
afford  to  be  generous  as  well  as  just. 

At  this  time  the  continual  and  inevitable  contest  between  lands- 


210 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  great 
drawbridge 
question  re- 
oppned. 


men's  rights  and  sailors'  rights  came  to  judicial  adjustment.  In  June, 
Madison  Street  bridge  was  reopened  for  travel,  and,  two  weeks  later, 
Clark  Street  bridge.  Autumn  saw  the  completion  of  the  Wells  and 
Kinzie  Street  structures.  Lake  Street  bridge  was  begun  and  its  oppo- 
nents applied  to  Judge  Drummond,  of  the  United  States  District 
Court,  for  an  injunction,  relying  on  the  right  of  the  general  Govern- 
ment to  keep  from  obstruction  the  navigable  waters  under  its  control 
The  complaint  was  dismissed;  the  learned  Judge  holding  that  "the 


SALOON    BUILDING. 


right  of  free  navigation  is  not  inconsistent  with  right  of  the  State  to 
provide  means  of  crossing  the  river  by  bridges  or  otherwise,  when  the 
wants  of  the  public  require  them." 

Even  after  this,  the  bold  navigators  stuck  to  the  old  idea  that  the 
prior  right  was  theirs  ;  that  whenever  they  approached  a  bridge  it  must 
fly  open  for  them,  no  matter  who  wished  to  use  it.  Therefore  it  fre- 
quently happened  that  a  vessel,  to  save  the  cost  of  towage,  would 
"warp  through"  bridge  after  bridge  ;  that  is,  carry  a  cable  along  the 
shore,  hitch  it  to  a  pile,  and  then  drag  the  craft  slowly  forward  by  wind- 
ing up  the  line  on  the  vessel's  capstan.  E.  MacA'rthur  charged  the 
Madison  Street  bridge  tender  with  keeping  the  bridge  open  "  an  hour 
longer  than  was  necessary,"  and  proved  the  fact;  yet  was  not  the 
offender  disciplined.  It  was  not  till  1852  that  bridge-tenders  were 


LAND-TRAVEL   AND    WATER-TRAVEL. 


£11 


brought  under  law  and  compelled  to  give  bonds  ($500)  for  the  faithful 
performance  of  their  duties.  Still  later  were  all  sail  vessels  made  to  em- 
ploy tugs.  It  is  only  within  the  last  two  decades  that  bridge-tenders  have 
been  authorized  and  empowered  to  keep  bridges  open  for  land  travel  at 
certain  times,  warning  navigators  to  halt  until  their  turn  should  come. 
As  late  as  1860  Clark  Street  bridge  was  so  low  above  the  water  that  not 
even  the  smallest  tug  could  pass  without  the  swinging  of  the  bridge. 
What  a  change  has  taken  place  since  then  may  be  imagined — and  one 
may  also  imagine  a  possible  future  time  when  bridges  shall  be  perma- 


JAHKZ  K.  BOTSFORD. 


SILAS  B.  COBB. 


nent  structures  of  arched  stone  and  iron;  when  all  loading  and  unloading 
of  lake  craft  shall  be  done  in  the  outer  harbor  and  only  lighters  and 
towing-barges  shall  navigate  the  rivers  and  penetrate  the  interior  of  the 
huge  metropolis.  In  other  words,  when  our  river  above  Rush  Street 
shall  be  like  the  Thames  "above  bridge,"  that  is,  further  up  stream 
than  London  bridge. 

In  1848  the  first  municipal  building  was  put  up.    The  City  Govern- 

_         .     First  City  Hall 

ment  had  up  to  this  time  "hired  a  hall     to  talk  and  act  in.      In   1837  it    bum  in  state 

Street. 

had  been  in  the  Saloon  building,  Clark  and  Lake  Streets.  In  1842  they 
moved  to  Mrs.  Nancy  Chapman's  building,  opposite  the  jail,  at  the 
corner  of  Randolph  and  La  Salle  Streets.  Captain  Andreas  says: 

The  public  square  at  this  time  was  fenceless,  and  presented  such  a  dilapidated  and  barren 
appearance  that  citizens  were  urged  to  improve  the  park  by  individual  exertion.  In  April  a  number 
of  citizens  did  turn  out  with  shovels,  mattocks,  etc.,  and  planted  a  few  trees  and  built  a  fence- 


212 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


But  .  .  .  the  "  Democrat,  "  in  May,  noticed  that  "  the  fence  around  the  public  square  on  Clark 
Street  stands  like  a  good  many  politicians  we  wot  of — but  half  whitewashed."  J.  Young  Scammon 
and  William  H.  Darns  did  much  about  this  time  to  improve  the  appearance  of  the  square. 

The  market  building  (put  up  in 
1848)  occupied  the  middle  of  State 
Street,  facing  Lake  Street  from  the 
south.  It  was  of  brick  with  stone 
basement.  The  ground  floor  had 
thirty-two  stalls,  and  the  second 
story  had  rooms  for  the  council 


Stage  Manager, 


Mr.  .\.  It.  Clarke. 


EXTRAORDINARY  NOVELTY! 


. 

Of  the  Engagement  of  <he  Distinguished,  Tragedian^ 

MB.  MURDOCH 

Fust  representation,  of  Schiller's  great  Tragedy  of  lie 
1 


I 

TVhicU  haa  leen.for  fiDme  time  m  preparaGoni  pitli_c!iararferia£Ifl 

Jgcentni,  StppolntoTcttlg.  jrtjtofc.,  fee. 
HR.  HUBDOCfl  as  CHARLES  DE  MOOR, 

Ai  pffTormea  by  lira  famlt  tlip  principal  Tlifairel  tf>nni£l«nil  ibo  IT.  S-  A 

this  Evening,  SATURftil,  NOT.  J.Otli,  1849, 

Will  be  iclci)  ffie^rageoj-nt  the 


Tdaxamilliaia  Count  do  Mow, 

Mir.  Clifford. 

CHARLES  DB  MOOR,      BIS 

MR  MURDOCH. 

Francia  do 

Speidelberg, 

GrioiiD, 

Moor, 
Young 

Libertines  | 
Afterwards 

IfeVickef; 
Warwick. 
Borgws. 

BOSS,   , 

Roller, 
Kotcnlci, 
Bumio, 

Clark*. 

\A\  S: 

1    Bobbon.    I      Beaver. 

fihjfturle, 
A  Commisnr 

'» 

Adams. 
EUpard. 

Hcrnin, 
Daniel* 

Meeker. 
Darts. 

Amcli*. 

PAS  DE  DEUX 


BY 


MISSES  EMMONS. 


g*£*ji* 

fiiU. 


Tbo  wliole  to  cjncUdc  wilh  the  Fftrca  of 


ITwding, 
Flicbl7, 


Mr.  McVick«r. 
Warwick. 
Bhipvd. 


ISr  fiat. 
Metktr. 


The  following  Song*  «ad  Dance  Incident  to  tho  piece. 
Jir.    "Htigio  for  *  Hn.Dooi"  «ia  B.  ' 
r 


JOHN    B    R1OE. 

meetings  and  other  municipal  pur- 
poses. One  may  fancy  the  atmos- 
phere in  that  council  chamber, 
during  an  August  meeting,  over 
the  market  and  under  the  heat  of 
the  sky  and  of  political  agitation! 
The  building  was  removed  in  1857. 
In  1848,  by  the  way,  Clark  Street 
was  numbered  from  South  Water  Street  to  Randolph. 

We  can  not  leave  behind  the  great  decade  of  the  forties  without  a 
glance  back  at  the  city  in  its  physical  aspect.  "  The"  theatre — the  house 
built  on  the  south  side  of  Dearborn  Street,  east  of  Randolph,  by  John 


On  MondajTEvening,  Mr.  'Murdoch's  Benefit. 

r  25   ta       iMbroiorea'jFewons,  26stt 


LAND-TRAVEL   AND    WATER-TRAVEL. 


T.  LYLE  DICKEY. 


B.  Rice,  in  1847   and  burned   in    1850 — was  the  chief  place   of  public 

amusement.  Here  had  appeared 
many  actors,  some  famous  already 
and  some  whose  names  have  be- 
come 

"  Familiar  in  our  mouths  as  household  words" 

in  the  years  which  have  since 
elapsed.  Here  James  H.  McVicker 
and  Mrs.  McVicker  appeared  on  the 
evening  of  May  2,  1848,  he  playing 
Mr.  Smith  in  the  farce  of  "  My 
Neighbor's  Wife;"  and  she  taking 
the  part  of  Louisa  in  the  Yankee 
comedy  of  "The  Hue  and  Cry." 
The  world  was  satisfied  with  the 
good  old  system  of  "stock  com- 
panies" then,  and  Andreas  reports 
that  for  1849  as  being  composed 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rice,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McVicker,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D. 
Clifford,  Mrs.  Coleman  Pope,  Jos. 
W.  Burgess,  N.  B.  Clark,  William  Meeker,  J.  H.  Harwick  and  C.  H. 
Wilson.  Messrs.  Beaver  &  Beck- 
with  were  the  "scenic  artists,"  and 
Perry  Marshall,  treasurer.  He  also 
gives  the  bill  of  the  play  for  Sat- 
urday, November  10,  1849,  when 
Mr.  Murdock  played  "  Schiller's 
Robbers."  The  bill  was  of  the  fa- 
miliar, old-fashioned  kind ;  one's 
feast  for  the  evening  was  all  simply 
set  before  him,  ungarnished  and 
undisguised;  not  as  in  the  cumber- 
some and  troublesome  fashion  of 
1891.  ,  We  reproduce  the  interest- 
ing play-bill. 

Meanwhile,  music,  another 
branch  of  the  fine  arts,  one  in  which 
Chicago  has  always  kept  an  ad- 
vanced place,  was  taking  firm  hold 
on  public  favor  and  support.  Mr. 
George  Upton,  more  closely  con- 
nected with  the  art  than  any  other  Chicagoan,  gives  some  items  connected 


Mr.  McVicker 
in  song  and 
dance  act. 


GEORGE   P.  UPTON. 


214 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Beginning;  of 
the  City's 
Musical  Life. 


with  the  times  now  under  notice  ;  the  very  epoch  of  the  arrival  of  a  man 
whom  he  calls  the  father  of  classical  music  in  the  West :  George  Dyh- 
renfurth.  Mr.  D.  arrived  late  in  1847,  and  on  December  27  attended 
the  New  England  Festival,  where  George  Davis,  Frank  Lumbard  and 
others  sang.  On  the  same  day  there  was  a  concert  at  "  the  theatre," 
where  the  celebrated  Sig.  Martinez  played  the  guitar.  On  February 
14,  1848,  Mr.  Dyhrenfurth  made  his  own  first  appearance  in  Chicago  as 
an  amateur  violinist.  On  September  13,  1849,  he  played  at  the  City 
Hall  for  charity,  and  appeared  during  the  following  year  on  various 
occasions.  Then  came  a  great  day  in  Chicago's  musical  history — Octo- 
ber 24,  1850;  when  the  first  Philharmonic  subscription  concert  took 
place  at  New  Tremont  Hall  under  his  direction.  The  series  numbered 
eight  concerts,  and  formed  the  beginning  of  an  organized  musical  cul- 
ture which  has  affected  and  benefited  this  city  through  all  its  later  life. 


Ogden's    lesson 
to  Prindiville. 


CHICAGO    IN    1845,    ''ROM    THE    WEST. 

Apropos  to  the  endless  subject  of  gains  made  from  Chicago  real 
estate  speculations,  the  following  story  from  Captain  Prindiville  is 
characteristic.  William  B.  Ogden  (when  they  were  both  engaged  on 
the  Galena  Railroad)  offered  him  a  five-acre  piece  on  the  West  Side 
for  $1,000,  "canal  time."  Prindiville  hadn't  the  money.  But  Ogden 
would  trust  him  for  a  year  for  the  first  payment.  Still  the  younger  man 
hung  back.  Well,  Ogden  would  take  the  land  back  at  the  end  of  the 
year  if  Prindiville  didn't  like  the  bargain.  No,  he  did  not  see  where  he 
was  to  get  the  cash  to  make  the  payments  and  wouldn't  promise  what 
he  might  not  be  able  to  carry  out.  Ogden  broke  out:  "  Why,  Redmond, 
that  is  not  the  way  to  get  along.  When  you  are  dealing  with  Chicago 
property,  the  proper  way  is  to  go  in  for  all  you  can  get,  and  then  go  on 
with  your  business  and  forget  all  about  it !  It  will  take  care  of  itself." 
Another  man  took  the  bargain  and  made  $4,000  on  it  in  six  months. 

We  are,  luckily,  also  able  to  see  Chicago  as  it  appeared  to  Gov- 
ernor Bross's  backward  gaze  when  he  wrote  his  history  in  1876.  He 


LAND-TRAVEL  AND    WATER-TRAVEL. 


215 


says  that  in  1848  he  lived  with  the  Rev.  Ira  M.  Weed  at  Madison  and 
State  Streets  (the   "Buck  &  Rayner  corner").     That  was  considered  GOV. 
"far  south,"  and  he  by  custom  selected  the  best  sidewalk  (that  on  Dear- 
born  street)  to  make  his  way  out  there. 

The  sidewalks,  where  such  luxuries  were  indulged  in,  lay  in  most  cases  on  the  rich  prairie 
soil,  for  the  string-pieces  of  scantling  to  which  the  planks  were  originally  spiked  would  soon  sink 
down  into  the  mud  after  a  rain,  and  then  as  one  walked,  the  green  and  black  slime  would  gush 
up  between  the  cracks.  ...  In  1849  I  bought  of  Judge  Jesse  B.  Thomas  forty  feet  on  Michigan 
Avenue,  south  of  the  corner  of  Van  Buren  Street,  for  $1,250.  The  Judge  had  bought  at  the  canal 
sales  in  1848  for  $800  on  "  Canal  Time  ;  "  a  quarter  down,  balance,  one,  two  and  three  years. 
The  lake  shore  was  perhaps  one  hundred  feet  east  of  the  street,  and  there  my  brother  John  and 
myself,  rising  early  in  the  morning,  bathed  in  summer  for  two  or  three  years.  We  had  an  excellent 
cow  —  for  we  virtually  lived  in  the  country  —  that,  contrary  to  all  domestic  propriety,  would  sometimes 
wander  away,  and  I  usually  found  her  out  on  the  prairie  in  the  vicinity  of  Twelfth  street.  I  saw  a 
wolf  run  by  my  house  as  late  as  1850.  The  rule  of  speculators  at  the  canal  sales  was  to  buy  all  the 
property  on  which  the  speculator  could  make  the  first  payment;  then  sell  enough  each  year  to  make 
the  others.  .  .  .  When  my  lot  was  struck  off  to  me,  Harry  Newhall  came  across  the  room  and 
said,  "Bross,  did  you  buy  that  lot  to  live  on  ?  Are  you  going  to  improve  it"  "Yes."  "Well,  I'm 
glad  of  it  ;  I'm  glad  some  one  is  going  to  live  beyond  me.  It  won't  be  so  lonesome  if  we  can  see 
some  one  going  by  every  night  and  morning." 


Bross-  d«- 
' 


CHICAGO    FROM   THE   LAKE,    1850. 


Citizens'  strug- 
gles in  start- 
ing the  first 
railroad. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

THE  COMING  POWER. 

||H|vEHOLD  the  strong  new  helper!  "The 
fifties"  were  eminently  the  years  of  railroad 
beginnings  on  a  large  scale.  January  i, 
1850,  saw  neither  more  nor  less  than 
thirty-three  miles  of  railroad  completed 
from  Chicago;  being  the  first  difficult, 
stumbling,  halting  steps  of  the  Galena 
line.  It  would  take  a  volume,  instead  of 
a  chapter,  to  tell  of  the  efforts  required 
to  finish  even  so  much  of  the  work,  and 
another  volume  to  tell  of  those  expended 
in  its  ultimate  entire  completion.  The  best 
short  story  of  it  is  to  be  found  in  Mr. 
Scammon's  and  Mr.  Arnold's  obituary 
sketches  of  William  B.  Ogden,  published  in  Fergus'  Hist.  Series,  No. 
seventeen. 

Mr.  Scammon  begins  with  tne  public  meeting  at  Rockford  (half 
way  between  Chicago  and  Galena)  in  1846,  where  Judge  Drummond 
presided  and  where  there  were  present  among  others  the  following  Chi- 
cago men:  William  H.  Brown,  afterwards  president  of  the  road  and  of 
the  Chicago  Historical  Society;  B.  W.  Raymond,  Isaac  N.  Arnold 
(also  a  president  of  the  Historical);  Gen.  Hart  L.  Stewart,  Mr.  Ogden 
and  himself,  Mr.  Scammon.  In  1847  Mr.  Ogden  and  Mr.  Scammon 
traveled  (probable  by  stage)  the  entire  distance  from  Chicago  to 
Galena,  stopping  along  the  road,  holding  and  addressing  meetings  and 
"going  into  the  highways  and  byways  to  compel  them  to  come  in"  to 
partake  of  the  feast. 

The  main  Galena  advocates  of  enterprise  were  Messrs.  Drummond, 
Hoyne,  Hempstead  and  Washburn.*  The  Galena  People,  even  then, 
feared  that  their  city  would  never  be  the  better  for  the  road,  and  only 
the  most  solemn  promises,  public  and  private,  sufficed  to  overcome  their 
fear.  The  promises  were  kept — as  long  as  Ogden  and  Scammon  were 
in  control.  Afterwards  they  were  disregarded,  to  the  lasting  injury  of 
Galena  and  the  regret  of  those  who,  in  perfect  good  faith,  had  uttered 
the  misleading  words. 

Before  the  road  could  be  completed    to    Galena,  the  great  Illinois 

*  The  two  latter  names  are  recalled  to  mind  by  that  of  the  Mayor  of  Chicago  at  this  time  (1891)  Mr.  Hempstead 
Washburn,  son  of  Elihu  B.  Washburn. 

216 


THE   COMING  POWER. 


217 


Central  road,  reaching  from  Cairo  to  Dunleith;  from  the  southernmost 
to  the  northwesternmost  point  of  the  State;  laid  out  its  line  which 
took  in  two  of  the  stations  of  the  Galena  road;  namely,  Freeport  and 
Galena.  Thereupon  the  Galena  Company  halted  its  road  at  Freeport 
and  arranged  to  run  unbroken  trains  from  Chicago  through  Freeport  to 
Galena.  The  line  was  completed;  but  being  under  two  companies,  and 
besides,  going  beyond  Galena  to  Dunleith,  a  point  on  the  Mississippi 
(Galena  was  on  the  Fever  river,  a  small  affluent  of  the  Mississippi),  it 
failed  to  benefit  Galena. 

The  next  road  to  connect  with  Chicago  was  the  "  Michigan  South- 
ern &  Northern  Indiana,"  now  the  Lake  Shore. 

On  February  20,  1852,  the 
first  train  arrived,  greeted  by  cheers 
and  cannon  firing,  this  being  the 
first  eastern  connection  by  rail: 
Not  all  rail,  however,  as  the  link 
from  Buffalo  to  Toledo  was  not 
made  until  1857;  meanwhile  the 
eastern  connection  for  both  the 
Southern  and  Central  roads  was 
by  means  of  Lake  Erie  steam- 
boats. And  in  the  very  year  of  its 
establishment  of  a  through  all-rail 
connection  with  the  east,  the  Mich- 
igan Southern  Company  went  to 
protest,  its  property  was  seized,  and 
the  new  Board  of  Directors,  holding 
its  first  meeting,  was  compelled  to 
borrow  a  few  chairs  to  take  the 
place  of  those  held  by  the  sheriff. 

Three  months  after  the  Southern  began  to  run  in,  namely,  on  May 
21,  1852,  the  Michigan  Central  made  its  way  to  the  city,  by  utilizing 
from  Calumet,  fourteen  miles  out,  the  track  of  the  Illinois  Central. 
There  was  a  bitter  fight  between  the  two  Michigan  roads,  the  right  of 
one  road  to  cross  the  tracks  of  another  (as  the  M.  C.  R.  R.  did  those  of 
the  M.  S.  &  N.  I.  R.  R. )  was  not  yet  established  and  regulated  bylaw. 
It  was  soon  so  established,  the  settlement  being  hastened  by  a  deplor- 
able calamity  which  occurred  at  the  crossing  (the  point  now  known  as 
"Grand  Crossing,"  within  city  limits)  on  April  25th,  1853.  The  South- 
ern, being  the  first  in  the  field,  denied  to  the  other  the  right  to  cross 
its  tracks  at  all;  and  strove  by  injunction  to  prevent  it.  During  the 
legal  contest  it  ran  its  road  as  if  the  other's  did  not  exist,  passing  the 


Bad  faith  in 
dealing  with 
Galena. 


KOSWKI.I.    H.    MASON. 


Michigan 

Southern 
and  Central 
come  in. 


218 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Terrible  ace 
dent  at  Gra 
Crossing. 


The  Illinois 
Central. 


crossing  point  at  full  speed.  This  recklessness  led  to  the  natural  result; 
two  trains  came  together  and  as  usual  the  innocent  suffered  from  the 
wrong-doing  of  the  contestants.  Eighteen  persons  were  killed  out- 
right and  some  forty  of  the  injured  were  brought  to  the  city.  An  in- 
dignation meeting  was  held  and  a  demand  made  that  every  train  should 
come  to  a  full  stop  before  crossing,  at  grade,  the  track  of  another  road. 
That  became  the  rule  and  so  continues  to  this  day. 

The  great  Illinois  Central  now  looms  above  the  horizon.  The 
State  had  received  from  the  general  Government  a  grant  of  alternate 
sections  of  land  in  a  strip  six  miles  wide  on  each  side  of  a  railroad  to  be 
built  from  Cairo  to  Dunleith  (on  the  Mississippi,  opposite  Dubuque),  with 
a  branch  from  the  main  line  to  Chicago.  This  splendid  gift  was  largely 

the  result  of  the  efforts  of  Syd- 
ney Breese,  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
James  Shields,  John  Wentworth 
and  William  H.  Bissell,  all  Illinois 
members  of  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives  of  the  United 
States.  Judge  Breese,  senator  from 
1842  to  1848,  said  in  a  letter  he 
wrote  to  Stephen  A.  Douglas  in 
1851 :  "  When  my  last  resting-place 
shall  be  marked  by  the  cold  marble, 
which  gratitude  or  affection  may 
erect,  I  desire  no  other  inscription 
than  this: 

"  HE  WHO  SLEEPS  BENEATH  PRO- 
JECTED THE  CENTRAL  RAILROAD." 

The  total  quantity  of  land  thus 
set  apart  was  2,595,000  acres- 
more  tnan  4,000  square  miles,  or  a  piece  over  sixty-three  miles  square. 
Owing  to  the  character  of  the  Prairie  State,  nearly  every  acre  is  arable 
land;  therefore  there  are  whole  States  which  have  not  as  much  produc- 
ing capacity  as  this  single  public  benefaction.* 

Here  come  in  some  considerations  usually  overlooked  in  discussing 
this  land  grant.  The  first  is  this:  The  Government,  when  it  gave  the 
alternate  sections,  doubled  the  price  of  the  alternate  sections  which  it 
retained.  Then  these  retained  sections  found  prompt  sales  at  the 
doubled  price.  Where,  then,  did  the  Government  lose  anything  by  its 

•At  the  same  time  the  donation  sinks  into  insignificance  when  compared  with  some  other  subven- 
tions. It  amounted  to  3,700  acres  per  mile  of  road.  The  grants  to  the  Union  Pacific,  twelve  years  later,  were  12.800 
acres  per  mile,  and  a  subsidy  in  Government  bonds  was  added  fit  the  rate  of  $i*,ooo,  $32.000  and  $48,000  per  mile;  the 
object  being  to  apportion  the  subsidy  in  ratio  to  the  cost  of  the  several  sections.  (Ackerman's  "  Early  Illinois  Rail- 
roads.*1 Fergus'  Hist.  Series,  No.  23.) 


JUDGE   SIDNEY    BREESE. 


THE   COMING  POWER. 


219 


bounty?  The  second  is,  that  the  grant  was  to  the  State;  and  the  State, 
before  it  surrendered  it  to  the  railroad  company,  stipulated  that  the 
latter  should  pay,  forever  (in  lieu  of  all  other  taxes),  the  large  slice 
of  seven  per  cent,  of  the  gross  earnings  it  might  gain  from  the  opera- 
tion of  its  road.*  Where,  then,  did  the  State  sacrifice  anything?  In 
fact,  the  sums  paid  to  the  State  Treasury,  under  this  provision,  are 
enough  (with  proper  economy)  to  run  the  entire  State  Government. 
It  is  largely  due  to  this  fund  that  Illinois  is  one  of  the  few  States  entirely 
free  of  a  State-debt.  The  payments  made  by  the  Illinois  Central  to 
the  State  are  as  follows  : 

1855,129,752;  1856,177,632;  1857,  $145,646;  1858,1132,006;  1859,  $132,104; 
1860,  $177,557;  1861,  $177,253;  1862,  $212,174;  1863,1300,394;  1864,  $405,514;  1865, 
$496,489;  1866,  $427,075;  1867,  $444,007;  1868,  $428,397;  1869,  $464,933;  1870,  $464,- 
584;  1871,  $463,512;  1872,  $442,856;  1873, 
$428,574;  1874,  $394,366;  1875,  $375,766; 
1876,  $356,005;  1877,  $316,351;  1878, 
$320,431;  1879,  $325,477;  1880,  $368,348; 
1881,  $384,582;  1882,  $396,036;  1883, 
$388,743;  1884,  $356,679;  1885,  $367,788, 
1886,  $378,714;  1887,  $4M,374;  1888, 
$424,955;  1889,  $460,244;  1890,8486,281. 
Total  paid  to  the  State,  $12,620,915. 
(Cents  are  omitted.) 

Judge  Caton  recalls  the  fact 
that  when  some  local  authority  en- 
deavored to  levy  a  local  tax,  in  spite 
of  this  provision,  on  the  ground 
that  the  State  could  not  barter 
away  the  right  of  a  minor  munici- 
pality to  levy  taxes  for  its  support, 
Mr.  Lincoln  argued  the  case  for  the 
Road,  and  won  it.  Also  that  he  charged  his  client  $5,000,  which 
the  local  authorities  paid,  but  which  the  directors  objected  to  and  ordered 
should  be  reclaimed  from  the  counsel.  Also  that  Mr.  Lincoln  told  one 
of  his  quaint  stories  regarding  the  matter  (which  has  never  appeared  in 
print);  which  was  about  to  this  effect  : 

A  farmer,  much  annoyed  by  the  trespassing  of  an  unruly  bull  be- 
longing to  a  neighbor,  drove  the  beast  away,  and  cut  off  its  tail  as  it 
departed.  Some  one  suggested  that  the  owner  might  object,  where- 
upon the  farmer  replied  that,  object  as  he  might,  the  tail  would  never 
grow  on  again.  Even  so,  the  lawyer  opined  that  that  particular  $5,000, 

*  Judge  Caton  suggests  that  this  lien  being  seven  per  cent,  of  the  Road's  gross  earnings  (deducting  nothing  for 
expense  of  operation)  is  at  least  equivalent  to  a  sixth  of  its  capitalized  valuation.  Also  that  this  consideration 
should  make  the  State  favor  every  increase  of  the  road's  capitalized  value,  and  encourage  it  to  invest  still  more  money 
in  income-  earning  property.  If,  for  instance,  the  corporation  should  add  six  millions  worth  of  realty  (Lake  Front)  to 
its  possessions,  one  million  of  the  increment  would,  in  effect,  belong  to  the  State,  to  have  and  hold  forever. 


State  percent- 
age of  Illinois 
Central  earn- 
ings. 


JOHN  u. 


Mr.  Lincoln's 
little  story. 


220 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Threatened  de- 
struction of 
Michigan  Ave. 


however  much  its  payment  might  be  objected  to,  would  never  find  itself 
back  in  the  company's  treasury.  (This  may  not  be  exactly  the  story, 
but  it  is  sufficiently  near  to  show  the  general  drift  and  application.) 

Now,  as  to  the  relations  of  the  Central  with  the  City  of  Chicago. 
Many  old  Chicagoans  remember — though  a  larger  number,  being 
newer  comers,  never  knew,  heard  or  cared  anything  about  it — that  from 
the  time  the  North  Pier  was  built  and  the  southward  current  of  sand 
retained  on  its  upper  side,  the  resulting  eddy  began  and  continued  to 
eat  away  the  land  south  of  it.  First  the  great  sand  spit  disappeared  and 
deep  water  was  where  dry  land  had  been  before.  Then  the  lake  shore 

itself  was  encroached  upon,  the 
broad  strip  outside  of  Michigan 
avenue  grew  narrower  and  nar- 
rower. The  coffins  in  the  old  Fort 
burying-ground  stuck  out  grimly 
into  the  air,  as  the  waves  kept  up 
their  ceaseless  sound  and  motion 
below.  A  plank  facing  and  vari- 
ous other  weak  expedients  were 
used  to  check  the  ominous  waste 
that  was  going  on;  but  there  was  a 
conflict  of  jurisdiction;  the  neigh- 
boring owners  called  on  the  munici- 
pality to  interfere,  the  latter  rather 
thought  it  was  the  business  of  the 
State,  (holder  of  "eminent  do- 
main"), and  all  would  have  been 
glad  to  shoulder  it  on  the  General 
Government,  which  by  building  the  pier  had  caused  the  abrasion. 

Meanwhile  the  waves  paused  not  at  all  "to  parley  or  dissemble" 
but  merrily  continued  their  destructive  play.  What  -\vas  to  be  done  ? 
It  was  a  question  of  millions  of  money  to  be  laid  out,  or  other  millions 
lost  in  Lake  Michigan.  The  city  and  the  citizens  could  not,  if  they  would; 
the  State  and  the  Nation  would  not  if  they  could.  And,  at  last,  in  a 
storm,  the  waters  actually  washed  away  a  part  of  the  eastern  edge  of 
Michigan  avenue  itself;  the  lake  park  having  already  largely  disap- 
peared. 

As  usual  in  Chicago,  when  at  the  last  extremity,  help  came.  The 
Illinois  Central  had  money  and  needed  access  to  business.  The  city  had 
no  money;  and  it  needed  the  business  the  road  would  create;  but  its 
most  present  and  urgent  need  was  defence  against  Lake  Michigan. 


WILLIAM     II.    OSBORN. 


THE   COMING  POWER. 


221 


Therefore  the  road  was  offered,  not  land,  but  water;  no  track,  but  a 
right  to  build  a  track  through  the  pathless  waves,  and  the  privilege  of 
protecting  that  tract,  which  in  its  turn  should  protect  Chicago. 

So  said  so  done.  The  Illinois  Central  Company  spent  two  millions 
of  dollars  of  its  capital  in  a  two-mile  stretch  of  stone  cribs  sunk  in  the 
lake,  four  or  five  hundred  feet  outside  the  shore  line;  and  then  drove  two 
double  lines  of  piles  inside  the  cribs  whereon  to  lay  its  tracks. 

Perhaps  one  in  fifty  of  Chicago's  present  citizens  remembers  the 
years  in  which  they  used  to  look  across  "the  basin"  at  the  piling  track 
and  the  stone  crib  beyond  it,  and  sail,  row,  swim  and  skate  there  as  the 
seasons  dictated;  only  thinking  (those  who  thought  at  all)  how  lucky  it 
was  that  there  was  a  power  strong  enough  and  liberal  enough  to  pro- 
vide the  young  city  with  such  a 
grand  benefaction. 

Those  days  are  past.  Chicago 
pocketed  the  benefit  and  forgot  its 
source.-  The  city  saw  that  the  Cen- 
tral had  finally  also  been  benefited 
(though  it  was  once  afterward,  in 
1857,  utterly  bankrupt  and  in  the 
hands  of  assignees),  and  grew  to 
feel  as  if  Chicago  had  done  it  all; 
as  if  she  had  been  the  author  of  her 
own  well  being  and  the  giver  of  the 
prosperity  of  the  Illinois  Central. 
The  fact  is,  Chicago  never  contrib- 
uted appreciably  toward  the  cost  of 
building  any  of  the  roads  which  have 
done  so  much  for  her,  either  as  a 
municipality,  or  (except  a  little  in 
the  early  days  of  the  Galena)  by  investments  from  the  funds  of  private 
citizens.  The  chief  service  Chicago  men  rendered  or  could  render  was 
the  bringing  in  of  foreign  capital.  In  the  case  of  the  Central  it  was  a 
three-sided  arrangement,  wherein  the  general  Government,  the  State 
and  the  railroad  corporation  joined,  and  wherein  a  fourth  party,  the 
public,  was  the  chief  beneficiary,  after  all.  Three  servants  plowed, 
planted  and  harvested,  and  the  master  eats  the  crop — grumbling. 

Roswell  B.  Mason,  later  Mayor  of  the  city,  and  still  (1891)  an 
honored  citizen,  was  the  first  president  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Company.  It  was  under  his  wise  guidance  that  the  Lake  Shore  pro- 
tection was  effected  between  1852  and  1855.  1°  1856  the  Central  took 
the  initiative  in  the  matter  of  suburban  traffic,  since  grown  to  such 


The  line  of  Crib 
Protection. 


WILLIAM     K.   ACKERMAN. 


Foreign  capital 
to  the  rescue. 


322 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  makers  of 

tbe  Illinois 

Central. 


great  proportions.  On  June  ist  of  that  year  it  started  its  Hyde  Park 
train  ;  and  in  his  daily  telegram  to  Wall  Street  that  evening,  John  B. 
Calhoun,  the  local  treasurer,  used  this  sententious  phrase:  "The  Hyde 
Park  train  made  its  first  trip  to-day.  Nary  passenger,  up  nor  down." 

The  next  administration  of  the  Illinois  Central  was  a  memorable 
one  for  power  and  enterprise.  William  H.  Osborn,  who  became  presi- 
dent in  1856,  was  a  man  whom  every  man  who  came  in  contact 
with  him  pronounced  one  of  the  ablest  men  Chicago  has  ever  seen. 
John  W.  Foster  was  Commissioner  of  the  Land  Department;  a  scien- 
tist, a  man  of  wit  and  humor,  and  of  varied  accomplishments.  William 

K.  Ackerman,  successively  Secre- 
tary, Treasurer,  Vice- President  and 
President,  is  still  (1891)  an  honored 
Chicago  citizen;  noted  for  executive 
ability  and  high  standard  of  per- 
sonal and  business  honor  and  recti- 
tude. Peter  Daggy,  now  (1891) 
one  of  Chicago's  old  and  well- 


JOSEPH     F.    TUCKER. 


Streets  general- 
ly begin  to  be 
numbered 
and  paved. 


known  citizens,  Commissioner  of 
the  Land  Department.  John  M. 
Douglass,  who  only  lately  died  in 
Chicago,  full  of  years  and  of  hon- 
ors, was  Counsel  and  later  Presi- 
dent. J.  F.  Tucker,  beginning  in 
the  freight  office,  became  success- 
ively General  Freight  Agent,  Gen- 
eral Superintendent,  Master  of 
Transportation  and  Traffic  Manager.  Through  the  dark  days  of  the 
Illinois  Central  these  men  and  others  like  them  were  its  preservers 
from  utter  ruin;  and  when  it  once  more  saw  better  days  it  was  to  them 
that  it  owed  its  permanent  prosperity. 

With  the  beginning  of  this  decade  began  the  general  numbering  of 
streets  and  also  the  use  of  the  plank  pavements  of  inglorious  memory. 
In  dry  weather  the  planked  streets  were  not  very  bad;  nor  would  they 
have  been  if  unplanked.  In  "wet  spells,"  the  planks  were  unfortunate'y 
not  submerged;  they  were  afloat,  and  under  the  impact  of  wheels  and 
hoofs  sent  up  streaks  and  shoots  of  vileness  indescribable. 

Grand  opera  began  in  a  way  that  sadly  prefigured  much  of  its  later 
history.  Captain  Andreas  says  : 

On  the  evening  of  July  30,  1850.  an  Opera  Company  consisting  of  Mr.  Manvers,  Mr.  Giubelei, 
Mr.  Lippert  and  Miss  Brienti,  assisted  by  a  home  chorus  and  orchestra,  began  the  first  season  of 


THE  COMING  POWER. 


22J 


opera  ever  given,  or  rather  ever  attempted,  in  the  city.  The  piece  for  the  opening  night  was 
"Sonnambula"  and  the  place  of  presentation  was  Rice's  first  theater,  located  on  Randolph  street. 
A  fair  audience  was  present  and  everything  progressed  smoothly  until  the  rising  of  the  curtain  on 
the  second  act.  At  this  juncture  the  alarm  of  fire  was  given,  and  in  an  hour  the  theater  lay  in  ashes, 
involving  a  loss  to  its  owners  of  over  $4,000. 

Undaunted  by  his  ill-success,  Mr.  Rice  soon  purchased  a  lot  on  Dearborn  street  and  began 
the  erection  of  a  new  theater. 

Another  account  of  the  accident  says  : 

The  audience  started  to  its  feet  in  terror.  .  '  .  .  Serious  injury  to  many  might  have 
ensued  had  it  not  been  for  the  presence  of  mind  of  Manager  Rice.  Hastening  to  the  footlights,  he 
cried:  "Sit  down!  Sit  down!  Do  you  think  I  would  permit  a  fire  to  occur  in  my  theater?  Sit 
down!  "...  Soon  the  building  was  cleared  ot  its  audience.  J.  H.  McVicker  was  on  the  stage 
at  the  time.  He  began  to  pull  down  scenery,  hoping  to  save  something,  but  the  flames  spread  so 
rapidly  that  everybody  was  driven  away.  .  .  . 
He  was  compelled  to  go  to  the  Sherman  House 
in  his  stage  costume.  He  lost  everything  except 
the  clothes  then  worn  by  him. 

The  opera  company  visited  Milwaukee, 
where  a  brief  season  of  their  so  called  Italian  opera 
was  given.  The  lines  were  rendered  in  Italian 
by  those  of  the  party  who  could  speak  that  tongue, 
and  in  English  by  those  who  could  not. 

An  incident  is  related  by  Mr.  McVicker 
which  illustrates  the  trials  of  those  days.  The 
price  of  admission  in  country  towns  was  twenty- 
five  cents.  At  St.  Charles  one  of  the  citizens 
waited  on  Mr.  McVicker  and  said:  "See  here, 
my  family  is  five  in  number — the  old  woman  and 
three  children.  I  think  you  ought  to  let  us  see 
the  show  for  a  dollar."  Mr.  McVicker  assented. 
The  next  day  his  patron  returned  and  said: 
"See  here;  your  show  put  my  boy  asleep  last 
night,  so  he  didn't  see  any  of  it.  I  think  you 
ought  to  give  me  back  a  quarter.  McVicker  ar- 
gued that  he  had  received  but  twenty  cents  each, 
but  the  man  silenced  him  by  saying:  "  Well,  I 
know;  but  it's  worth  twenty-five  cents  to  carry  a 
boy  home  when  he's  asleep."  The  quarter  was 
refunded. 

Rice's  new  theater  was  on  Dear- 
born street,  south  of  Randolph. 

Tremont  Hall.a  lame  dancing  room  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Tre- 

C5  O 

mont  House,  facing  Lake  street,  was  used  by  local  and  traveling  com- 
panies between  the  times  of  Rice's  first  and  second  theaters.  There 
the  infant  prodigies — and  real  artists — Kate  and  Ellen  Bateman, 
appeared  on  November  18,  1850,  and  on  two  later  evenings,  with  suc- 
cess. 

The  first  general  charity  hospital  went  into  operation  in  1850,  being 
located  in  the  Lake  House  (already  called  the  "Old  Lake  House"),  and 
in  charge  of  those  sterling  citizens,  Mark  Skinner,  Hugh  T.  Dickey 
and  Dr.  John  Evans.  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  lectured  for  its  benefit  and  Dr. 
Brainard  served  it  as  surgeon — all  gratis  of  course,  for  who  can  set 
bounds  to  the  charitable  work  of  the  medical  profession  ? 


Burning  of 
Rice's  Theatre. 


JAMES   H.  Me  VICKER. 


First  General-' 
Charity   Hos- 
pital, 


224 


THE   STORY  OF   CHICAGO. 


Douglas 

silenced  by 

Anti-Fugitive 

Slave  Law  mob. 


The  same  year,  1850,  saw  occurrences  elsewhere  which  had  at  least 
a  reflex  influence  on  things  in  Chicago.  The  famous  and  infamous 
fugitive  slave  law  passed  then,  and  Douglas,  one  of  its  adherents,  came 
back  to  Chicago,  his  home,  and  on  Oct.  24,  1850,  made,  in  defence  of 
the  measure,  what  has  been  called  the  ablest  speech  of  his  life,  a  speech 
which  silenced,  if  it  did  not  convince,  the  already  half-rebellious  demo- 
crats. To  anticipate  a  little,  letlis  look  on  to  his  return  home  in  1854, 
and  his  effort  to  defend  his  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  An  article  appearing 
in  the  "  Times  "  (Democratic),  Aug.  19,  1877,  tells  the  story  fully,  and 
from  it  (as  copied  by  Andreas)  we  quote : 

The  "  Little  Giant "  determined  to  face  the  music,  and  it  was  announced  that  after  his  arrival  in 

Chicago  he  would  take  occasion  to  address  his 
constituents  on  the  issues  of  the  day,  and,  may- 
hap, make  a  few  personal  explanations. 
From  numerous  orthodox  pulpits  the  fiat  went 
forth  that  this  anti-Christ  must  be  denied  every 
opportunity  to  pollute  the  pure  atmosphere  of 
Illinois  with  his  perfidious  breath.  .  .  It  was 
on  the  evening  of  Sept.  I,  1854,  that  he  was  an- 
nounced to  speak  in  North  Market  Hall  (where 
the  county  jail  now  stands).  .  .  Under  such 
circumstances  as  these,  assembled  the  meeting 
on  that  September  evening.  During  the  after- 
noon the  flags  of  such  shipping  as  was  owned  by 
the  more  bitter  of  the  "  fusionists"  (a  name  early 
given  to  the  men  of  both  parties  who  joined  hands 
against  disunion,  afterwards  "republicans")  were 
hung  at  half  mast;  at  dusk  the  bells  of  numerous 
churches  tolled  with  doleful  solemnity.  A  little 
before  eight  o'clock  Mr.  Douglas  began  to  speak. 
And  still  the  crowd  increased,  completely  filling 
up  Michigan  street  as  far  east  as  Dearborn  and 
west  as  Clark.  The  roofs  of  the  opposite  houses 
were  covered  and  the  windows  and  balconies 
filled,  for  the  ' '  Little  Giant"  had  a  way  of  making 

himself  heard  at  a  great  distance On  the  questioning  of  some  statement  of  the  speaker  by 

a  person  in  the  crowd  the  rumpus  began  in  earnest,  and  for  two  hours  pandemonium  raged. 
It  was  reported  at  the  time  that  the  "  Little  Giant"  was  pelted  with  rotten  eggs.  This  feature  is 
now  called  in  question  by  trustworthy  witnesses  who  substitute  rotten  apples.  .  .  .  From  the 
date  of  Douglas'  rebuff  Chicago  men  never  ceased  to  be  on  the  extreme  verge  of  anti-slavery 
excitement,  and  Chicago  became  the  center  of  the  Western  movement  which  resulted  in  making 
Kansas  a  free  state. 

The  limits  of  a  "  story  "  do  not  permit  a  statement  in  detail  of  the 
development  of  political  opinion  in  the  years  which  intervened  between 
the  killing  of  Lovejoy  in  1837  and  the  firing  on  Sumter  in  1861.  They 
were  years  of  progress — of  revolution.  At  least  as  early  as  1838  an 
anti-slavery  meeting  was  held  in  the  "  Saloon  Building,"  where  the  Rev. 
Flavel  Bascom,  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Charles  V.  Dyer, 
Philo  Carpenter,  Robert  Freeman  and  Calvin  DeWolf  were  leading 
spirits.  A  mob  was  then  feared,  a  mob  not  of  the  kind  which  assailed 


THE  COMING  POWER. 


225 


Douglas  in  1854,  but  one  of  the  opposite  stripe,  the  Southern  sympa- 
thizers. In  1842  a  black  man,  named  Edwin  Heathcock,  was  arrested 
on  the  ground  of  being  in  Illinois  without  free  papers,  as  prescribed  by 
the  "  black  law."  He  was  committed  by  Justice  Kercheval  and  confined 
in  the  log  jail  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Court  House  square.  He  was 
advertised  to  be  sold  Monday,  Nov.  14,  1843,  and  then,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  crowd  which  blocked  Randolph  and  La  Salle  streets,  actu- 
ally put  up  and  "cried"  by  the  sheriff  (Lowe),  who  explained  to  the 
crowd  that  it  was  only  duty,  not  choice,  that  put  the  job  on  him. 
For  a  long  time  nobody  bid,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  poor,  shivering 
fellow  would  have  to  go  back  to 
the  wretched  log  jail.  A  voice  was 
raised  from  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street:  "I  bid  twenty-five  cents." 
It  was  the  voice  of  Mahlon  D. 
Ogden.  The  man  was  "  knocked 
down  "  to  him  and  he  handed  up  a 
silver  quarter-dollar  to  the  sheriff; 
and  then  said:  "  Edwin,  I  have 


Sale  of 
man  a 
tion. 


a  black 
t  auc- 


You  are  my  man— 
Now   go    where    you 


REV.    FLAVEL    11ASCOM. 


bought    you 
my   slave ! 
please!" 

In  1848  the  Democratic  party 
divided  on  the  Free  Soil  issue,  and 
Cass  lost  his  election  to  the  presi- 
dency in  consequence.  In  1850  the 
colored  people  met  in  convention 
at  Chicago,  and  resolved  not  to  fly 
to  Canada,  but  to  remain  and 
defend  themselves.  In  1851  the 
last  Chicago  fugitive  slave  case  was  tried,  and  the  black  man  remained 
free.  The  claimants  were  called  upon  by  lawyer  Collins,  to  prove,  by 
other  than  "hearsay  evidence"  that  Missouri  was  a  slave  State,  and 
while  they  were  engaged  in  the  effort  to  do  so,  the  great  crowd 
passed  the  negro  over  their  heads  and  prevented  the  constable  from 
following  him. 

Zebina  Eastman  (then  living  at  the  town  of  Lowell)  sent  the 
first  passenger  on  the  "Underground  Railroad  "  (organized  assistance 
of  slaves  escaping  to  Canada)  in  1839.  It  was  a  "strange,  famished 
and  terrified  negro,"  caught  in  a  barn  near  Lowell  and  forwarded  to 
Dr.  Dyer  in  Chicago,  who  smuggled  him  on  board  the  steamer  Illinois, 
bound  down  the  lakes  for  Buffalo.  Captain  Blake,  of  the  Illinois, 


226 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


Abolitionists. 


found  among  the  firemen  the  "new  hand" — gun,  knife  and  all — and 
exhibited  much  fury,  vowing  to  kick  him  ashore  at  the  first  point  he 
stopped  at.  "  So  when  he  reached  the  Detroit  river  he  made  a  grand 

circuit,  as  if  to  show  off  his  boat 
to  a  crowd  of  admiring  Southerners 
on  board,  and  then  ran  it  into  a  port 
on  the  Canada  shore,  where  he  had 
no  passengers  to  leave,  but  where 
he  furiously  dragged  the  negro  from 
the  lower  regions  and  "kicked  him 
off  into  freedom  ! " 

To  many  readers  all  this  will 
seem  like  Greek.  What  do  they 
know  about  escaping  slaves  and 
the  "Underground  Railroad"?  But 
such  persons  may  be  assured  that 
their  ignorance  is  only  the  conse- 
quence of  the  fact  that  they  came 
on  the  scene  a  few  years  late.  Those 
of  the  past  generation  (now  them- 
selves rapidly  passing  over  to  the  majority)  can  recall  the  days  of  all 
this  turmoil,  malice,  mob-law  and  murder,  and  find  the  present  smiling, 
prosperous  calm  almost  a  matter  of  surprise;  such  a  contrast  is  the  con- 
dition of  "the  nineties"  to  that  of  "the  forties." 


ZEBINA    KASTMAN. 


-  —  . 7--  .  _.- 


ILLINOIS    CKNTRAL    PASSENGER    STATION;    1855. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


THE  CITY  COMES  TO  HERSELF. 

H  1C  AGO  is  often  said  to  have  been  built 
by  nature  rather  than  by  any  human  inter- 
ference. Now  begin  the  days  when  her 
various  and  infinite  natural  advantages  come 
most  fully  to  light.  From  the  earliest  times 
her  position  was  conspicuously  favorable. 
She  stands  just  where  water-travel  and  N?yutoechicag£ 
marine  freightage  intrude  furthest  into  the 
bosom  of  the  continent.  All  men  may  sail 
to  her,  no  man  can  sail  past  her.  Short- 
sighted observers  fell  into  the  error  of  think- 
ing that  certain  places  reached  by  river  had 
a  better  outlook.  Cairo,  for  instance,  was 
pitched  upon  as  the  place  for  the  greatest 
city  of  the  continent,  as  being  near  the  geo- 
graphical center  and  at  a  great  river  centre  and  being  joined  by  the  Ohio 
with  the  Alleghany  range,  by  the  upper  Mississippi  and  Missouri  with 
the  Arctic  and  the  Rockies,  and  by  the  lower  Mississippi  with  the  Gulf. 
These  very  circumstances  were  fatal  to  greatness.  Craft  arriving  from 
either  direction  could  sail  on  in  either  of  two  other  directions  without 
pausing.  Three  mighty  cataracts  there,  or  some  other  impassable 
barrier,  would  have  made  Cairo  what  its  founders  hoped ;  but  wherever 
men  can  sail  freely  by,  they  are  apt  to  do  so.  A  warehouse  in  mid-ocean 
would  do  no  business  save  in  ship  chandlery  and  marine  stores.  Lon- 
don is  the  head  of  marine  navigation  on  the  Thames,  Liverpool  on 
the  Mersey,  Paris  on  the  Seine  and  New  York  on  the  Hudson.  Cairo 
is  a  mere  passing  point. 

This  is  the  first  of  Chicago's  natural  advantages;  the  one  without 
which  all  her  others  would  have  been  of  small  worth,  but  which  itself 
would  have  been  of  little  value  without  some  others  easy  to  name. 
First,  the  productiveness  of  her  back  country.  As  the  lakes  and  sea Hcu"i°So~n. 
in  front  of  her  are  insatiable,  so  the  land  behind  her  is  inexhaustible. 
What  next?  Measureless  forests  of  excellent  pine  and  hardwood, 
near  by,  to  the  northward;  limitless  mines  of  steam-coal  still  nearer  to 
the  southward;  great  quarries  of  good  lime-stone  only  eighteen  miles 
distant  on  the  canal;  iron  mines  accessible  by  sail  from  Lake  Superior. 
And,  as  if  all  this  were  not  enough,  the  city  rests  upon  layers  of  its  own 


228 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


Built  of  materi- 
al taken  from 
her  own  sub- 
soil. 


building  material;  a  bed  of  brick  clay  comes  close  to  the  surface 
almost  everywhere,  and  where  it  is  covered  it  is  usually  with  a  layer  of 
fine,  sharp  building-sand.  It  is  an  every  day  experience  with  builders 
to  take  enough  sand  from  the  cellar  to  made  the  mortar  and  plaster  for 
the  whole  house.  The  docks,  too,  almost  construct  themselves;  thus:  A 
man  owning  a  water  lot  establishes  a  brick-yard  and  takes  his  clay  from 
his  own  land,  moulds  and  burns  his  brick  and  sells  them  at  a  profit.  When 
this  is  done,  he  has  his  dock  ready  excavated,  and  all  he  has  to  do  is  to 
put  up  his  piers  and  wharves  and  let  in  the  water.  The  city  has  in- 
numerable "  slips"  along  its  dock  front,  a  great  many  of  them  con- 
structed by  this  simple  device. 

It  was  in  1852  that  the  convenient  canal  stone  was  first  largely  used. 


STRAITS    OF    MACKINAW. 


A  competent  geologist,  Professor  Hitchcock,  examined  and  analyzed 
the  stone  (a  magnesian  lime-stone)  and  named  it  "Athens  Marble,  "but 
of  late  years  it  has  been  usually  called  "  Lemont  stone,"  from  the  dis- 
trict whence  it  largely  comes.  The  quarries  are  inexhaustible.  An  im- 
mense quantity  of  the  stone  will  be  taken  out  of  the  new  "drainage 
channel." 

The  proximity  of  the  great  lakes  offers  pure  lake  water  and  pure 
^a^e  a'r>  anc^  tnose  w^o  have  ever  lived  in  such  proximity  are  apt  to  feel 
cowpaendbheat.  as  if  human  life  would  be  impossible  in  places  not  so  blessed.  The 
coldest  winds  in  winter  and  the  warmest  in  summer  come  not  over  the 
lake  but  over  the  prairies.  The  coolest  airs  in  summer  are,  of  course, 
the  lake  breezes  ;  and  in  winter  the  lake  never  freezes  over  to  any  great 
extent,  consequently  any  wind  which  passes  over  its  surface  can  not 
remain  very  far  below  the  freezing  point. 


Lake  breezes 


THE  CITY  COMES    TO  HERSELF. 


229 


All  these  physical  glories  and  beauties  did  not  befall  without  phys- 
ical drawbacks.  A  prairie  city,  Chicago  had  a  site  almost  marshy. 
The  prairies  are  anything  but  craggy  and  romantic — the  picturesque  and 
the  productive  do  not  co-exist.  Her  long,  deep,  quiet  rivers  are  very 
far  from  being  trout  streams ;  being  what  they  are,  they  could  not  be 
strung  up  the  slope  of  a  hill.  Her  hundreds  of  miles  of  level  streets  are 
hard  to  drain,  and  her  peaceful,  tideless  waters  are  hard  to  keep  pure. 
In  tidal  London,  the  great  dock  gates  can  open  but  twice  a  day.  In 
Liverpool  the  Mersey  is  navigable  only  about  half  of  the  twenty-four 
hours;  in  Chicago  all  hours  are  alike  fitted  for  business. 


Drawbacks  of  3. 
level  lite. 


tire, 
and  streets. 


CITY    WATER    WORKS    (1854). 

The  excellent  report  of  Mayor  D.  W.   C.  Cregier,  for  1890,  gives, 
with  innumerable  other  items  of  interest,  a  short  historical  recapitulation  D[er"rfvee'r.Wa" 
of  the  drainage,  water  supply,  river,  fire,  sanitary  and  street  systems. 
On  the  subject  of  water,  quoting  Mr.  Chesbrough,  the  report  says: 

In  1851,  when  the  population  was  about  35,000,  the  present  works  were  commenced.  Under 
the  directions  of  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners.  John  B.  Turner,  A.  S.  Sherman  and  H.  G. 
Loomis,  the  pumping  works  were  located  on  the  lake  shore  on  the  north  side  of  the  Chicago  river. 
The  works  were  put  in  operation  in  February,  1854.  They  consisted  of  one  reservoir,  containing 
about  half  a  million  gallons,  and  eight  and  three  quarter  miles  of  iron  pipes,  beside  the  pumping 
works.  The  population  at  this  time  was  about  70,000.  The  increased  growth  of  the  city  after  that 
time  and  the  introduction  of  sewerage,  together  with  the  establishment  of  packing-houses,  distiller- 
ies etc.,  caused  such  a  change  in  the  quantity  of  filth  flowing  into  the  lake  that  complaints  began  to 
be  made  of  impurity  and  offensiveness  in  the  supply  from  the  pumping  works.  What,  however, 
was  at  first  apparent  only  to  the  most  sensitive  organizations  sodn  grew  evident  to  all,  and  in  the 
course  of  two  or  three  years  more  a  remedy  for  this  state  of  things  could  no  longer  be  neglected. 


2JO 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


Chowder  in 
bath-tub. 


At  this  time,  be  it  remembered,  the  water  was  taken  into  the  pump- 
ing well  (at  the  east  end  of  Chicago  Avenue)  directly  from  the  lake 
shore,  a  few  piles  being  driven  around  the  inlet,  about  close  enough 
together  to  exclude  a  young  whale.  The  small  fry  of  the  finny  tribe 
passed  freely  inward,  and  if  they  were  lucky  they  passed  out  again; 
if  unlucky,  they  were  sucked  up  by  the  pumps  and  driven 
into,  the  pipes;  where  they  made  their  way  into  the  faucets  of  priv- 
ate houses — even  the  hot  water  faucets,  in  which  case  they  came  out 
the  cooked,  and  one's  bathtub  was  apt  to  be  filled  with  what  squeamish  citi- 
zens called  chowder.  At  about  this  time  a  most  sensational  article  ap- 
peared in  the  "  Times,"  gravely  asserting  that  we  were  like  cannibals,  eat- 
ing our  ancestors.  For,  it  said,  the  cemetery,  being  on  the  lake  shore  a  half 
mile  north  of  the  pumping  works,  was  subject  to  overflow  and  abrasion 
by  the  waves;  wherefore  the  fishes  were  fed  on  the  dead  at  the  ceme- 
tery, were  sucked  into  the  pumps,  and  were  then  fed  to  the  living  in 
the  city!  Of  course  this  was  nonsense,  but  it  was  a  kind  of  nonsense 
that  fastened  public  attention  and  made  easy  the  next  step  in  our 
civil  life,  the  tunneling  the  lake  and  bringing  the  water  from  the  pure 
depths  two  miles  from  shore.  It  was  a  bold,  a  startling  project,  success- 
fully put  in  operation.  Appended  is  a  table  with  some  interesting 
figures: 


Year. 

Gallons  per 
day  (j  ciph- 
ers omitted). 

Gallons  per 
day  to   each 
person. 

Miles  of 
pipe  in 
use. 

Population 
(3  dpliers 
omitted). 

Cost  of  wks- 
at   close    of 
war  (  ?  ciph- 
ers omitted) 

Tons  of 
Coal  used. 

Collections: 
(j  ciphers 
omitted). 

l8<!4..  . 

SOI 

8  o 

?o 

6c 

$CQC 

CO4 

18:;:;.  . 

2    1Q1 

2  I  .O 

41 

80 

611 

I   Q7O 

$             cS 

l8q6.  . 

4  ooo 

j6  s 

?2 

86 

646 

5*            0° 
80 

l8^7 

1    Z  C  "* 

?8   2 

c8 

o^ 

73Q 

I  966 

O7 

1858  

2  QQI 

>2  S 

72 

QI 

820 

v/ 

1  02 

18^0 

3  877 

8s 

OOO 

2    724 

T  2  •= 

1860  

4  7O4 

45  O 

01 

100 

1,013 

2,621 

T  31 

1890  

152.372 

126.8 

1,205 

I.2OO 

16,902 

46,190 

2,109 

The  report  treats  at  length  of  drainage. 

In  the  year  1849  Madison  Street,  east  and  west,  and  State  Street,  north  and  south,  were  decided 
on  as  the  summit  in  the  south  division,  the  streets  of  that  portion  north  of  Madison  and  west  of 
State  Street  to  drain  into  the  main  river.  The  portion  east  of  State  to  slope  east  and  drain  into  the 

Lines  of  drain-  |ake      The   part  south  of   Madison  and  west  of   State  to  slope  west  and  discharge   into  the  South 
age  establish- 
ed. Branch.     Nothing  was  done  in  the  way  of   drainage,  except  open  ditches,  until  the  year  1850,  when 

triangular-shaped  wooden  box  sewers  were  built  in  Clark,  LaSalle  and  Wells  Streets  from  the  main 
river  to  the  alley  south  of  Randolph  Street.  The  cost  of  these  sewers  was  $2,871.90,  wholly  paid  for 
by  the  property  benefited. 

By  act  of  the  Legislature  in  1852,  Henry  Smith,  George  W.  Snow, 
James  H.  Reed,  George  Steele,  H.  L.  Stewart,  Isaac  Cook  and  Charles 
V.  Dyer  were  made  Drainage  Commissioners  for  Cook  County.  The 
commission  found  awaiting  its  attention  nearly  100,000  acres  of  swamp 


THE  CITY  COMES   TO  HERSELF. 


231 


land  ;  much  of  it  considered  worthless,  as  its  surface  was  but  from  five 
to  twelve  feet  above  lake  level.  They  saw  that  all  it  needed  was  ditch- 
ing to  reclaim  it.  In  two  years,  at  an  expense  of  only  $100,000,  large i 
tracts  were  made  available  which  had  been  thought  uninhabitable.  These 
tracts  lay  within  four  miles  north,  eight  miles  west  and  ten  miles  south 
of  the  city.  The  change  in  the  flooded  flat  traversed  by  the  Galena  track 
west  from  Kinzie  Street  was  doubtless  due  to  this  work. 

A  board  of  sewerage  commissioners  was  organized  in  1855,  con- 
sisting  of  William  B.  Ogden,  Joseph  D.  Webster,  and  Sylvester  Lind, 
with  Ellis  S.  Chesbrough  as  Chief,  and  William  H.  Clark  Assistant 
Engineer.  The  following  was  the  system  agreed  on.  It  has  remained 
in  force  ever  since  and  will  continue  perhaps  as  long  as  Chicago  stands. 
It  will  be  observed  that  it  follows 
essentially  the  old  plan  as  to  levels 
and  slopes;  State  Street  the  summit 
line  north  and  South,  and  Madison 
Street  the  summit  east  and  west : 

The  South  Division  east  of  State  Street  was 
drained  by  a  main  sewer  in  Michigan  avenue, 
from  the  river  to  Sixteenth  Street,  the  summit 
being  at  Van  Buren  Street ;  that  part  south  of 
Van  Buren  Street  discharging  into  the  lake  at 
Twelfth  Street,  the  part  north  of  Van  Buren 
emptying  into  the  main  river  [near  Rush  Street 
bridge]  ;  the  portion  lying  south  of  Washington 
Street  west  of  State  to  be  discharged  into  the 
south  branch  at  various  streets  ;  north  of  Wash- 
ington by  two  foot  sewers  in  each  north  and 
south  street,  emptying  into  the  main  river. 

From  the  outset  Mr.  Chesbrough  insisted 
on  constructing  sewers  to  discharge  by  gravity; 
this  necessitated  raising  all  streets  from  one  to 
three  feet  above  the  natural  surface  of  the  ground, 
in  order  to  have  sufficient  cover  over  the  top  of  SYI.VESTKK  I.IMI. 

the  sewers  to  protect  them  from  frosts  and  traffic. 

At  the  end  of  1856  there  were  in  operation  six  miles  of  sewers;  at 
the  end  of  1890  there  were  seven  hundred  and  eighty-five  miles. 

This  shows  that  on  even  the  south  side,  with  its  ready  access  to 
river  and  lake,  the  ground  had  to  be  raised  from  one  to  three  feet1 
merely  to  give  the  requisite  cover  to  the  sewers.  So  it  seems  like  the 
constructing  of  a  network  of  sewers  on  the  surface,  and  then  filling  up 
streets  and  house-lots  to  a  point  high  enough  to  use  those  sewers  by 
draining  into  them  !  No  wonder  the  house-owner  stood  aghast  and 
even  strove  to  prevent  the  carrying  out  of  such  a  ruinous  "  improve- 
ment!" Take  a  great  brick  hotel  like  the  Tremont  House  ;  how  was 
it  to  live  when  the  street  which  had  been  level  with  its  front  door 
was  raised  half  way  up  to  its  second  story  windows  ? 


of 


232 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


Law  of  street 
grades  6xed. 


Raising  of    old 
brick  buildings. 


One  of  Judge  Caton's  numerous  reminiscences  of  occurrences  on 
the  bench  refers  to  the  changes  of  street  grade  in  their  relation  to  pri- 
vate rights.  Lake  Street  was  ordered  to  be  raised,  and  the  Couches, 
owners  of  the  Tremont  House,  prayed  an  injunction  to  stay  the  work; 
which  had  already  been  begun.  The  crisis  was  so  important  that  the 
judge  was  induced  to  hold  a  special  term  of  circuit  court  (which,  as  a 
a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  he  could  do  at  his  own  discretion)  to 
hear  the  cause. 

Court  opened,  and  Beckwith,  for  the  claimants,  and  Arnold,  for  the 
city  (evidently  expecting  several  days  of  wordy  war),  came  into  the 
room,  each  armed  with  a  formidable  pile  of  law  books.  Scarcely  had 
they  got  under  way  when  the  judge,  instead  of  listening  to  their 
speeches,  began  to  ask  questions  regarding  the  facts  of  the  case  and 

the  points  of  law  relied  upon.  Then 
he  asked  that  the  papers  in  the 
case  be  handed  him,  and  without 
consulting  any  authorities  ad- 
journed court  and  retired  to  his 
room  in  the  Tremont  House,  the 
very  property  concerning  which  the 
suit  was  brought,  and  overlooking 
the  street-filling  which  was  objected 
to. 

Before  he  slept  he  had  com- 
pleted his  examination  and  written 
his  opinion.  Next  morning  he 
walked  over  to  the  clerk's  office, 
found  it  locked,  tossed  the  whole  mass  of  documents  in  through  the 
transom  over  the  door,  and  went  back  to  the  hotel;  on  his  way  telling 
the  contractor  he  could  set  his  men  at  work,  he  had  decided  the  case. 
Before  the  court  hour  arrived  he  had  started  out  of  town. 

His  opinion  was  in  favor  of  sustaining  the  power  of  the  city 
over  the  street  grades,  and  that  has  been  the  law  from  that  day  to 
this.  The  case  was  not  even  appealed. 

With  the  trouble  came  (once  more !)  the  remedy.  A  contractor 
was  found  willing  to  raise  the  whole  great,  high  building  (the  Tre- 
mont House)  to  its  new  grade,  without  even  interrupting  its  business 
The  cellar  was  vacated,  huge  timbers  were  introduced  and  placed  so 
as  to  take  upon  themselves  the  weight  of  the  sustaining  walls,  5,000 
jack-screws  were  placed  under  the  timbers  and  a  small  army  of  men 
detailed  to  work  by  word  of  command,  one  man  to  four  screws.  Then, 
at  a  signal  given  by  the  whistle  of  the  foreman,  each  man  gave  each 


FIRST    RUSH    MEDICAL    COLLEGE. 


THE  CITY  COAfES    TO   HERSELF.  233 

jack-screw  one  half-turn  ;  and  the  whole  structure,  by  imperceptible 
steps,  rose  in  the  air,  the  bricklayers  building  up  the  walls  as  fast  as 
there  came  spare  space  wherein  to  lay  a  course  of  brick.  It  was  said 
the  guests  did  not  know  they  were  mounting  toward  the  sky.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  not  a  wall  was  cracked,  not  the  slightest  accident  or 
untoward  event  took  place  to  interfere  with  the  entire  and  perfect 
success  of  the  novel  experiment. 

Soon  after,  the  entire  brick  block  of  stores  facing  south  on  Lake 
street,  and  reaching  from  Clark  to  LaSalle  street,  was  similarly  treated, 
and  these  were  only  specimen  instances  of  a  great  undertaking;  the 
lifting  of  a  whole  city  out  of  the  Slough  of  Despond  on  to  dry  ground. 
The  extent  of  that  particular  raising  was  from  six  to  eight  feet.  Others 
have  occurred  at  especial  times  and  places,  so  that  many  parts  of  the 
city  now  tower  fourteen  feet  above  original  levels.  Men's  feet  are 
above  the  place  where  passed  the  heads  of  their  predecessors. 

This  enterprise  benefited  Chicago  indirectly,  thus :  A  young 
man,  born  in  central  New  York  in  1831,  grown  up  without  wealth 
and  educated  without  help,  having  a  widowed  mother  dependent  on 
him  for  support,  had  bravely  undertaken  a  large  contract  for  the  rais- 
ing of  buildings  along  the  Erie  Canal  to  the  new  plane  made  neces- First  work  of 
sary  by  the  canal  enlargement  then  recently  affected.  The  knowl- 
edge of  the  great  task  to  be  done  in  Chicago  in  the  direct  line  of 
his  experience  brought  him  out  to  the  West,  and  he  became  the  lead- 
ing house-raiser  in  Chicago.  The  man  was  George  M.  Pullman. 

After  making  much  reputation  and  a  little  money  in  his  original 
business,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  greater  job  of  improving  the 
system  of  long-distance  travel,  and  began,  in  a  small  way,  the  enter- 
prise which  has  revolutionized  the  passenger-carrying  of  the  country, 
and,  to  some  extent,  of  the  whole  world. 

It  was  in  1859  that  he  made  a  contract  with  Governor  Matteson, 
of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  railroad,  to  fit  up  two  old  passenger  cars  on 
that  road  as  sleeping-coaches.  This  was  the  first  step ;  the  next  was  in 
1863  when  he  hired  from  the  same  Company  the  use  of  an  old  repairing 
shed,  secured  skilled  workmen  and  built  the  first  "  Palace  car,"  a  com- 
bined day  and  sleeping  coach.  (Previous  sleeping  cars  had  been  mere 
bunking  coaches,  used  only  for  the  night.)  The  car  took  a  year  in 
completion  and  cost  $18,000.  Like  our  friend  the  old-new  locomotive, 
it  was  christened  the  "Pioneer"  and  like  that  is  still  in  existence,  being 
preserved  for  the  sake  of  the  vista  of  enterprise  which  opened  with  its 
birth. 

The  next  great  step  was  the  formation  of  a  running  arrangement 
with  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  for  the  use  of  Pullman's  cars  on 


234 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  Sleeping 
Car  system. 


that  line  for  a  term  of  years.  The  fact  was  soon  apparent  that  any 
road  using  those  cars  took  the  cream  of  patronage  away  from  any 
rival  road  not  doing  so,  and  from  that  day  to  this  the  course  of  the 
sleeping  coach  and  its  originator  has  been  onward  and  upward,  until 
to-day  (1891)  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company  controls  more  than 
2,000  cars  running  on  14,000  miles  of  rails,  while  all  rivals  and  imitators 
combined  have  perhaps  as  many  more  in  their  fields  of  operations. 

In  1880  Mr.  Pullman  devised  and  built  the  model  town  of  Pullman 
(now  within  the  corporate  limits  of  Chicago),  which  will  be  treated 
herein,  when  reached  in  due  chronological  order. 

The  early  fifties  were  cholera  years.  The  deaths  by  this  strange 
epidemic  were  as  follows:  In  1851,  216  out  of  669  total  deaths;  in  1852, 
630  out  of  1652  ;  1853,  113  out  of  1205  ;  1854,  1424  out  of  3834;  in  1855, 


~ 


CAR     AS     IT     LOOKS     IN     l8gl. 


The  Cholera; 
1857  to  1855. 


147  out  of  1983.  A  few  items  from  the  record  of  1850  may  recall  to  our 
minds  the  aspect  of  that  half-forgotten  terror.  Captain  Andreas  quotes 
from  "an  old  settler  who  was  participator  in  the  horrors  whereof  he 
wrote  and  had  a  narrow  escape  from  death  himself": 

One  Sunday  morning  in  May,  or  perhaps  June,  on  my  way  to  church,  I  was  crossing  Rush  Street 
ferry  when  I  overheard  a  fellow-passenger  telling  another  that  Captain  Jackson  had  died  of  cholera 
As  the  ferry  landing  was  within  a  few  rods  of  the  Jackson  dwelling,  being  one  of  the  houses  within 
the  fort,  I  hastened  thither.  I  found  William  Jones  alone  with  the  corpse.  The  face  was  a  shade 
darker  than  usual  and  around  the  mouth  were  the  dark  purple  spots  which  I  soon  learned  to  be  the 
unmistakable  deathmarks  of  that  dreaded  disease.  Mr.  Jackson  had  been  attacked  the  previous 
afternoon  while  engaged  in  his  usual  employment  of  driving  piles  along  the  river;  he  hastened  home 
and  died  within  a  few  hours. 

I  think  the  death  of  Mr.  Bentley,  the  father  of  Cyrus  Bentley,  soon  followed  that  of  Deacon 
Jackson.  L.  M.  Boyce,  a  prominent  druggist,  died  in  his  house  alone,  his  family  having  just  left  for 
the  country.  The  Rev.  W.  H.  Rice,  pastor  of  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  church  .  .  .  was  intend- 
ing to  preach  and  was  hastening  for  that  purpose.  I  assisted  him  into  the  house  of  Mr.  Pillsbury  on 
Dearborn  street,  a  few  doors  south  of  where  the  Tribune  building  now  stands.  Dr.  D.  S.  Smith 
attended  him.  .  .  .  He  continued  thus  through  the  day  when  he  again  began  to  fail  and  soon 
died.  When  Mr.  Price  was  attacked  the  weather  was  very  warm  and  so  continued  till  there  came 


THE  CITY  COMES   TO  HERSELF. 


235 


one  of  our  Lake  Michigan  chilling  breezes.     It  was  to  this  that  I   attributed  his   relapse,  for  I  had 
noticed  that  deaths  were  more  numerous  after  these  sudden  changes  from  hot  to  cool.     .     . 

That  summer  I  boarded  with  Mr.  T.  C.  James.  One  day  when  I  went  in  to  dinner,  Mrs. 
James  asked  me  to  go  into  another  room  and  look  at  one  of  her  daughters,  a  girl  of  fourteen,  who 
had  just  begun  to  complain  and  had  lain  down.  I  saw  at  a  glance  it  was  cholera.  She  died  in  about 
seven  hours.  Another  daughter  was  taken  while  returning  from  the  funeral'and  died  before  morning. 

Judge  Caton  was  holding  court  in  Ottawa  on  a  certain  afternoon. 
James  H.  Collins,  his  intimate  friend  and  former  partner,  argued  a  case 
up  to  adjournment  of  court ;  apparently  in  good  health  and  spirits.  He 
went  to  his  room  at  the  Fox  River  house  and  Judge  C.  went  to  his  own 
home.  About  day-break  some  one  came  to  the  judge's  door  and  called 
him,  saying  that  Mr.  Collins  had  died  of  cholera.  Judge  Caton  went 
at  once  to  the  hotel  where  he  found  the  report  to  be  true  ;  thence  he 
went  to  the  telegraph  office  (he 
was  an  officer  of  the  company,  car- 
ried an  office-key  and  was  himself  a 
pretty  good  operator),  and  as  he 
entered  he  heard  Chicago  calling 
Ottawa,  the  message  being  ad- 
dressed to  Mr.  Collins,  telling  him 
that  a  servant  had  just  died  of 
cholera  at  his  house.  The  judge 
took  the  message,  replied,  in  tele- 
graphic custom,  "  O.  K.  ;"  and 
wired  back  to  the  sender  the  news 
that  Mr.  Collins  was  dead. 

Hospitals  were  established  and 
quarantine  to    isolate  the  sick  on 
arrival.     In  June,  1854,  an  incom- 
ing train  arrived,  carrying  Norwe-  CHARLES  v.  DYER. 
gian  emigrants,  among  whom  the  disease  was  raging.     Six  were  dead 
on  the  train,  and  a  seventh  died  a  few  minutes  after  being  taken  out. 

Dr.  Dyer  used  to  tell  this  story  at  the  expense  of  his  profession: 

"  Deeming  it  requisite  to  establish  a  quarantine  to  prevent  the 
introduction  of  the  disease,  we  organized  an  amateur  board  of  health, 
and  hired  a  warehouse  to  be  used  as  a  hospital.  Hearing  that  a  steam- 
boat was  coming  into  port  with  eighteen  cases  of  cholera  on  board,  we 
went  out  to  the  vessel  and  removed  the  patients  to  the  improvised  hos- 
pital. On  viewing  the  sick,  nine  were  decided  to  be  beyond  medical 
aid,  and  the  remaining  moiety  were  decreed  to  be  favorable  subjects  for 
pathological  skill;  but,  unfortunately,  the  nine  upon  whom  we  lavished 
all  the  resources  of  science  died,  and  those  who  were  esteemed  to  be 
about  in  articulo  mortis  all  got  well." 


Incidents  of  the 
epidemic. 


Dr.  Dyer's  good 
story. 


236 


THH   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Tie  Lake  Street 
Fire  of  1857. 


The  first  Steam 
Fire  Rngine. 


The  fire  department,  in  its  volunteer  stage,  nas  been  already  spoken 
of.  In  1850  "fire  limits"  were  established,  and  no  wooden  buildings 
were  allowed  to  be  built  between  Randolph  street,  the  main  river, 
Wabash  avenue  and  the  South  Branch.  Up  to  1855  fire  alarms  were 
struck  by  the  bell  of  the  First  Baptist  church,  Washington  and  LaSalle 
streets,  but  in  February  of  that  year  the  large  bell  was  hung  in  the 
steeple  of  the  Court  House,  a  watch  was  set  there,  and  whenever  the 
watchman  detected  a  fire  the  bell  was  rung;  and  by  day  flags,  and  by 
night,  lanterns,  were  hung  out  to  show  in  which  direction  citizens  were 
to  look  for  the  danger. 

In  1857  a  dreadful  calamity  occurred;  the  memorable  "Lake  street 
fire,"  wherein  the  loss  of  property  was  only  some  half  million  dollars' 

worth,  but  there  were  twen- 
ty-three lives  sacrificed, 
many  of  the  dead  being  lead- 

J  o 

ing  citizens.  Water  was 
scarce  and  the  flames  raged 
long  and  fiercely,  but  as 
morning  approached  they 
were  getting  somewhat  un- 
der control,  when  suddenly 
the  walls  and  upper  floors 
of  Barnum  Brothers'  dry 
goods  store  on  Lake  street 

o 

fell,  burying  more  than  a 
score  of  men  who  were  en- 
gaged in  removing  goods 
from  the  lower  floor.  Among 
the  well-known  citizens  crushed  to  death  were:  Ezra  H.  Barnum,  E.  R. 
Clark,  John  High  and  Alfred  H.  P.  Corning.* 

The  fire  department  on  this  occasion  showed  its  inefficiency,  dis- 
organization and  incapacity  to  deal  with  any  serious  fire.  Two  engines, 
(No.  6  and  10)  were  out  of  order  and  did  not  work,  having  been  injured 
while  competing  for  a  silver  trumpet.  Hundreds  of  feet  of  hose  had 
been  burst  on  the  same  festive  occasion.  A  movement  for  a  paid  fire 
department  was  instituted,  supported  by  the  best  of  the  firemen  and 
opposed  by  the  worst.  The  better  counsels  prevailed — though  not  with- 
out danger  of  serious  rioting.  The  first  steam  fire-engine,  the  "  Long 
John,"  was  bought,  tested  at  the  foot  of  La  Salle  street  and  approved 
— a  death-blow  to  the  volunteer  system.  Engine  Companies  No.  4,  10 
and  14,  Hose  companies  Nos.  3  and  5  and  Hook  and  Ladder  No.  3 

*  The  writer  was  at  work  at  the  fire,  heard  the  crash,  and  saw  some  of  the  blackened  and  distorted  corpses 
brought  out  next  day. 


LONG     JOHN     FIRK     I-.NCINE. 


THE  CITY  COMES    TO  HERSELF. 


met  on  Clark  street,  traversed  the  principal  streets  and   marched  into 
Court  House  Square,  to  show  defiance   of  law  and  order.     The  mayor 
(Wentworth)  was  equal  to  the  occasion.      He  dispatched  a  force  of  200 RKHOUS 
policemen  with  orders  to  arrest   the   demonstrators  for  riot  and  disor- 
derly conduct.     A  few  arrests  were  made  and  the  rest  of  the  rioters  fled, 
leaving  their  apparatus  to   the  police,  who  took  the  machines   to  the 
armory  and  locked   them   up,  arrangements   being  made  with   special 
policemen  to  man  them  in 
case  of  fire.     On  August,  2, 
1858,  the  paid  fire   depart- 
ment was  established. 

Concerning  our  highly- 
prized,  praised  and  perse- 
cuted river,  Mr.  Cregier's 
report  is  full  of  interest. 
In  July,  1856,  the  first 
clearance  from  Chicago  di- 
rect from  England  was 
made,  the  vessel  being  the 
"Dean  Richmond."  Her 
trip  was  probably  not  profit- 
able ;  she  got  no  return 
freight  and  was  sold  abroad. 
In  1857  the  "Madeira  Pet" 
left  Liverpool  April  24th 
and  arrived  July  i4th  in 
Chicago.  The  long  and  ex- 
pensive voyage  via  ocean, 
St.  Lawrence  river,  Welland 
canal  and  the  lakes  made  a 
loss  of  time,  wages,  insur- 
ance and  interest,  which 
more  than  counterbalanced 
the  gain  by  relief  from  cost  of  trans-shipments. 

The  original  plan  concerning  river-banks  was  to  arrange  them  in 
levees,  sloped  and  paved  like  those  on  the  great  rivers.  Therefore, 
"water  lots"  were  not  sold.  The  river-side  streets  extended  to  the 
stream  itself.  But  this  system,  excellent  for  the  light  draft  Missis- Fate  o<the 
sippi  boats,  was  not  good  for  the  deep-hulled  lake  craft  ;  their  keels 
would  be  on  the  bottom  long  before  their  bulwarks  were  within 
reach  of  the  bank.  Thereupon  some  enterprising  citizens,  holding 
lots  fronting  on  the  streets  whereof  the  opposite  sides  were  river- 


MAVUK    WENTWORTH. 


river  hanks. 


'/'///<:   STOKY  OF  CHICAGO. 


banks,  caused  an  act  to  be  passed  by  the  legislature  allowing  the  owners 
of  such  lots  to  take  up,  at  nominal  prices,  the  "  river  lots "  opposite 
their  respective  holdings,  which  they  immediately  turned  into  building- 
spots  ;  a  shallow  store  being  placed  on  each  with  its  face  toward  the 
street  and  its  back  upon  the  river,  with  only  a  five-foot  strip  of  wharf 
between.  This  is  the  explanation  of  the  unsightly  condition  of  the 
river-banks — a  succession  of  back-walls  instead  of  the  open  streets  con- 
templated by  the  original  plan. 

A  great  deal  of  litigation  ensued,  but  it  is  hard  to  annul  an  act  of 
the  legislature.     The  intruders  held  on,  and,  as  to  the  law-suits,  time 


MADEIRA    PET. 


Uiver 
bor 


and  Har 
history. 


has  mad  away  with  their  memory  and  the  great  fire  with  their  records. 

There  were,  up  to  1857,  only  six  miles  of  dockage  built  along  the 
river-banks,  including  the  basins.  The  length  of  dock  at  the  present 
writing  (1891)  is  not  given  by  the  report,  but  it  is  stated  by  Mr.  Cregier 
verbally  that,  including  the  annexed  towns,  the  running  frontage  of  both 
sides  is  forty-one  miles,  spanned  by  fifty-eight  bridges  and  two  tunnels. 

An  interesting  letter,  dated  June  21,  1880,  written  by  G.  J.  Lydecker, 
Major  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A.,  to  Rufus  Blanchard  (  "  Discovery  of  the 
Northwest  and  History  of  Chicago,"  p.  540),  gives  the  Government  ex- 
penditures up  to  that  time  as  $1,108,005,  to  which  must  be  added  $105,- 
ooo  appropriated  in  1880  and  laid  out  in  the  completion  of  the  works 
then  under  way.  It  would  seem  that  the  municipal  expenditures  on 
rivers  and  harbor,  excluding  sums  spent  for  deepening  the  Illinois  and 


THE  CITY  COMES    TO  HERSELF.  239 

Michigan  canal,  and  for  building  the  tunnels  and  bridges,   would  be  not 
very  far  from  equal  to  this  amount. 

An  interesting  circumstance  connected  with  Chicago's  lake  and 
river  is  the  occasional  advent  of  a  "  tidal  wave,"  often  several  feet  in 
height,  coming  suddenly  and  departing  in  the  same  unceremonious  fash- 
ion. No  satisfactory  explanation  of  these  phenomena  has  been  offered; 
nor  of  the  slower  and  more  majestic  variations  of  lake  levels.  The 
report  so  often  quoted  contains  a  very  beautiful  diagram  or  chart  of 
curves,  showing,  by  colored  lines,  the  variations  in  successive  years  of 
the  following  historical  items :  Population,  harbor  expenditures,  com- 


W.    B.    SNOWHOOK. 


THOMAS    B     CARTER. 


merce  by  tonnage,  canal  tolls,  and  lake  levels.  The  last  named  line 
starts  with  the  lowest  level  of  the  lake  in  1855  (called  "datum"),  and 
shows  a  gradual  rise  of  the  high-water  mark  up  to  four  and  three-quar- 
ters feet  in  1858,  agradual  fall  to  one  and  four-fifths  feet  in  1872,  a  grad- 
ual rise  to  four  and  two-fifths  feet  in  1876,  a  gradual  fall  to  two  and 
one-half  feet  in  1879,  agradual  rise  to  four  and  two-fifths  feet  in  1886 
and  a  gradual  fall  to  two  and  one-fifth  feet  in  1890.  Low-water  mark 
in  each  year  was  pretty  regularly  about  three  and  a  half  feet  below  the 
high-water  mark  of  the  same  year,  except  in  1 88 1,  when  it  got  away 
down  to  two  feet  below  "datum;"  in  other  words,  six  and  three  quarters 
feet  below  highest  water  recorded,  and  six  and  two-fifths  feet  below 

o 

high  water  of   1876    and  of    1886. 


240 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


Referring  to  tidal  waves,  an  interesting  one  of  these  phenomena 
was  observed  by  Judge  Caton  in  1838.  His  office  was  then  in  the 
irregular  " triangle"  formed  by  Water,  Market  and  Lake  Streets.  As 
he  was  approaching  the  office  and  facing  the  river,  he  observed  an 
overflowing  of  the  water,  which  flooded  the  street  and  checked  his 
progress.  He  halted  until  it  receded,  as  suddenly  as  it  had  come  ;  then, 
going  on  to  where  the  wave  had  formed  and  left  a  pool  in  a  slight 
depression,  he  found  imprisoned  in  the  little  pond  a  large  fish,  three 
or  four  pounds  in  weight.  He  picked  it  up,  floundering  as  it  was, 
took  it  home,  and  it  was  served  for  the  family  dinner. 

The  history  of  the  Chicago  river  as  a  river  is  easy  to  write;  as 
water,  it  is  more  puzzling.  In  fact,  in  some  times  and  places  it  has 


ISAAC    D.    HARMON. 


ISAAC    N.    HAP  MOM. 


been  scarcely  recognizable  as  water.*  About  the  middle  of  the  thirties, 
Charles  Cleaver  speared  a  fine  muskallonge  in  the  North  Branch. 
Since  those,  its  halcyon  days,  the  long-suffering  stream  has  over  and 
over  gone  from  bad  to  worse,  until  the  worse  became  intolerable,  when 
some  costly  expedient  has  been  adopted  looking  to  a  "  permanent "  cure. 
Before  incorporation  a  township  ordinance  was  passed,  threatening 
with  fine  any  one  who  should  put  into  the  stream  the  carcass  of  any 
dead  animal.  In  1848,  the  starting  of  the  canal  pumps  to  lift  water 
into  the  "shallow  cut"  was  a  prompt  and  welcome  relief.  In  1871  this 
was  supplemented  by  the  completion  of  the  "  deep  cut,"  at  huge 

*  An  old  fable  tells  how  a  philosopher,  to  illustrate  the  evanescence  of  earthly  things,  said  to  one  of  his  disciples, 
"Wouldst  thou  know  how  long  thou  wilt  be  remembered  when  thou  art  dead  ?  Then  thrust  thy  hand  into  the  river  and 
mark  how  long  the  shape  of  it  will  endure  in  the  water  after  thou  hast  withdrawn  it."  To  which  some  Chicago  man 
added  that  if  it  was  the  Chicago  River,  he  guessed  it  would  last  about  an  hour  and  a  half. 


THE  CITY  COMES    TO   HERSELF. 


241 


expense,  and  again  the  relief  was  welcome,  but  it  helped  only  the  south 
branch  and  main  river,  the  north  branch  having  no  source  of  supply  to 
drive  its  polluted  mass  toward  the  canal-gate.  To  remedy  this,  half  a 
million  was  spent  in  engines  and  a  subterranean  channel  from  the  lake 
to  the  river,  along  the  line  of  Fullerton  avenue.  At  this  present  writ- 
ing (1891)  we  are  brought  face  to  face  with  a  mammoth  undertaking 
—nothing  less  than  the  outlay  of  a  score  of  millions,  to  send  a  whole 
river  of  Lake  Michigan  water  (600,000  cubic  feet  a  minute)  down  to 
the  Illinois;  whereby  the  city  sewage  shall  not  only  be  carried  off, 
but  shall  be  so  diluted  as  to  be  "  oxydized,"  and  therefore  inoffensive  to 
the  dwellers  on  the  borders  of  the  stream  below. 

This  seems  surely  ample  and  final,  and  a  permanent  solution  of  the 
fearful  problem.  The  whole  civic  life  of  Chicago  has  been  a  succession 
of  strenuous  throes,  whereby  she  has  kept  barely  ahead  of  her  absolute 
needs.  Her  citizens  do  not  drag  her  car  along  ;  they  have  all  they  can 
do  to  keep  from  being  overtaken  and  crushed  by  its  irresistible  prog- 
ress. She  is  a  Juggernaut  to  the  laggard. 


MICHIGAN   AVBNUE   IN    1859.      RESIDENCE  OF   I.  H.  BURCH. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


Banking  and 
Currency  sys- 
tem a  failure. 


THE    STUMP-TAIL   CHIMERA. 

HILE  glorying  in  and  gloating  over  the 
phenomenal  gifts  nature  had  heaped  upon 
her  favorite  garden-spot  of  ground,  as 
depicted  in  the  last  previous  chapter,  an  old 
Chicagoan,  looking  back  in  "  the  fifties," 
will  be  conscious  of  an  uneasy  sense  that 
all  was  not  quite  so  rosy  as,  to  a  superficial 
view,  it  appeared.  He  knows  that  at  that 
very  moment  there  was  a  hidden  weakness 
in  the  foundation  of  things  ;  that  the  edi- 
fice was  based  on  a  shaking  quagmire, 
and  would  take  something  more  efficient 
than  jack-screws  to  lift  it  up  to  solid 
ground. 

It  is  impossible  to  overestimate  the  adequacy  of  the  natural  advan- 
tages for  business,  or  the  inadequacy  of  some  of  the  artificial  expedients 
by  which  it  was  being  carried  on. 

Among  others,  the  system  of  banking  and  currency  was  bad  to  the 
point  of  absurdity.  The  banks  started  in  the  following  order  (i  An- 
dreas, 534): 

1836. — Chicago  branch  of  the  State  Bank  of  Illinois,  corner  La  Salle  and  South  Water  Streets, 
removed  to  Lockport  in  1840;  agency  remained  in  Chicago  till  bank  closed  in  1843. 

1837. — Strachan  &  Scott,  remained  in  business  until  1840;  sold  out  private  banking  business  to 
Murray  &  Brand.  George  Smith  succeeded  them  as  agents  of  the  Wisconsin  Fire  and  Marine 
Insurance  Co.  The  Chicago  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Co.  did  a  full  banking  business,  except 
issuing  bills.  Its  charter  was  amended  in  1849,  and  it  was  the  predecessor  of  the  Marine  Co.  of 
Chicago. 

1840. — George  Smith  &  Co. ,  La  Salle  Street  bankers,  continued  in  business  in  Chicago  until 
1856-57,  at  which  time  the  business  of  the  house  was  closed  up.  Mr.  Smith,  after  an  honorable  and 
successful  career  of  twenty  years  as  a  Western  banker,  retired  with  a  very  large  fortune  and  returned 
to  Scotland. 

1844. — Murray  &  Brand,  exchange  brokers,  corner  of  Lake  and  Clark  Streets;  Newberry  (Wal- 
ter L.)  &  Burch  (I.  H.),  bankers,  97  Lake  Street;  Griffin  &  Vincent,  brokers,  Dearborn  and  State 
Streets;  George  Smith  &  Co.,  private  bankers  and  exchange  brokers,  Bank  Building,  La  Salle  Street' 
Elijah  Swift,  broker,  102  Lake  Street;  R.  K.  Swift,  broker,  102  Lake  Street;  H.  W.  Wells,  agent  of 
Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Bank,  112  Lake  Street. 

The  directory  for  1849-50  has  the  following: 

Money  lenders. — G.  P.  Baker,  193  Lake  Street;  J.  S.  Dole,  181  Lake  Street;  Thomas  Parker,  40 
Clark  Street;  R.  K.  Swift,  in  Lake  Street.  Banks,  bankers  and  dealers  in  exchange:  Alexander 
Brand  &  Co.,  127  Lake  Street;  I.  H.  Burch,  125  Lake  Street;  Chicago  Savings  Bank,  125  Lake 
Street;  Chicago  Bank,  125  Lake  Street;  Curtis  &  Tinkham,  40  Clark  Street;  D.  C.  Eddy,  97  Lake 
Street;  George  Smith  &  Co.,  41  and  43  Clark  Street. 

This  showing,  on  the  face  of  it,  does  not  indicate  anything  essen- 

242 


THE  STUMP-TAIL   CHIMERA. 


243 


tially  rotten.  The  banks  named  were  "  private  banks  "  and  dependent  on 
private  capital  and  individual  character,  credit,  means  and  responsibility  ; 
and  their  whole  history  shows  the  truth  of  what  was  said  by  the  apolo- 
gists of  the  system  at  the  time:  "Illegal  banking  honestly  conducted 
is  better  than  legal  banking  dishonestly  conducted." 

The  following  extract  from  the  "Democrat"  of  September  19, 
1849,  shows — or  at  least  outlines — the  chaos  of  money-matters  as  late 
as  forty  years  ago;  the  first  schedule  being  the  "current  funds  ;"  i.  e. 
worth  99  cents  on  the  dollar: 

New  England  banks  in  good  credit,  New  York  State  banks  in  good  credit,  New  Jersey  and 
Maryland  banks  in  good  credit;  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Kentucky  banks  in  good  credit;  Michigan,  Vir- 
ginia and  Missouri  banks  in  good  credit;  Wiscon- 
sin Marine  and  Fire  Insurance  Company  [George 
Smith  and  Strachan  &  Scott]  and  Pennsylvania 
banks  not  over  one  per  cent,  discount  in  New 
York. 

Uncurrenf.  Canada,  three  per  cent,  dis- 
count; Pennsylvania,  par  to  three  per  cent,  dis- 
count; Tennessee  not  taken;  State  Bank  of 
Illinois,  fifty  per  cent,  discount;  State  Bank  of 
Shawneetown,  seventy  five  per  cent,  discount. 

Scrip:  Chicago  city  orders,  par  to  five  per 
cent,  discount;  Cook  County  orders,  thirty  to 
thirty-five  per  cent,  discount;  Auditor's  warrants, 
ten  to  fifteen  per  cent,  discount. 

New  York  exchange  was  sold 
for  $10  premium  per  $  1,000  for 
coin,  $15  per  $  1,000  for  currency; 
while  in  1891  its  average  is  not  far 
from  par,  and  it  is  almost  never  at 
so  much  as  $i  per  $  1,000;  either 
of  premium  or  discount. 

To  those  who  lived  and  did  bus- 
iness through  those  strange  days,  it 
would  seem  like  the  millennium  to  fancy  many  of  the  blessings  now 
enjoyed  by  all,  especially  those  o'f  a  solid  and  stable  currency,  one  "dol- 
lar" as  good  as  another  over  all  the  broad  land!  Then  a  study  of 
"  Thompson's  bank-note  reporter,"  giving  standing,  credit,  value,  and 
counterfeits  on  perhaps  1,000  banks  in  all  the  States  of  the  Union,  was 
an  indispensable  part  of  the  daily  life  of  every  business  man. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  chaos  of  currency,  Captain  Andreas 
quotes  the  list  of  bank-bills  received  and  turned  in  by  Oscar  Caldwell,  a 
conductor  on  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  Railroad,  as  taken  by  him  on  a  single  trip. 
The  whole  amount  was  $203,  and  the  hotch-potch  was  as  follows: 
Twenty-seven  bills  on  five  Georgia  banks  ;  two  bills  on  one  Michigan 
bank  ;  seven  bills  on  five  Illinois  banks;  three  bills  on  three  banks  in 


Chaos  of  Bank 
notes. 


GKORGE    SMITH. 


One  day's  col- 
lections on  tha 
C.,  B.  &  Q. 


244  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO 

New  York ;  three  bills  on  three  banks  in  Wisconsin  ;  one  bill  on  a  bank 
in  Ohio ;  one  on  a  bank  in  Connecticut ;  one  on  a  bank  in  Maine  ;  one 
on  a  bank  in  Indiana;  one  on  a  bank  in  Tennessee  ;  one  on  a  bank  in 
Virginia  and  one  on  a  bank  in  Iowa.  What  a  memory  such  a  con- 
ductor must  have  needed !  If  he  took  a  "bad  bill"  it  was  his  own 
loss.* 

The  "  Democrat  "  was  bitterly  hostile  to  all  this  business  of  issuing 

Thehard-        "  money  "  and  is  quoted  by  Captain  Andreas  as  saying:     "We  under- 

••Democrat."  stand  that  before  long  we  shall  be  blessed  (?)  with  more  home-made 

money.     Glorious  times,  by  and  by,  if  paper  money  will   make  them." 

And  the  gold-and-silver  organ  did  not  have  to  wait  long  for  its  "glorious 

times." 

Up  to  1837  there  had  been  a  revulsion  in  business  affairs  about 
every  ten  years  fora  long  time  ;  1817,  1827  and  1837  being  the  years  of 
"liquidation."  It  is  probable  that  somewhere  about  1847  there  would 
have  been  another  of  these  periodical  spasms,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
intervention  of  the  California  bonanza,  with  its  huge  inflation  of  the 
world's  supply  of  solid  currency.  But  the  settling  day  was  only  delayed, 
not  abolished.  Whether  because  of  our  stimulating  climate,  our  quick- 
ening pulse  as  the  liveliest  blood  of  many  races  meets  and  mingles,  or 
of  some  other  disturbing  element  or  circumstance,  we  seem  doomed  to 
overdo,  from  time  to  time,  our  buying,  selling,  building,  borrowing, 
lending,  etc.;  and  to  be  forced  to  a  halt  and  a  painful  accounting. 

The  crops  of  1854  were  almost  a  failure.  Wall  street  was  shaken 
to  its  foundation  by  the  exposure  of  the  "  Schuyler  fraud  " — the  over- 
issue by  Robert  Schuyler  of  $2,000,000  of  New  York  and  New  Haven 
convulsions.  Railroad  stock.  The  political  horizon  was  clouding  up  in  anticipation  of 
the  thunderstorm  of  1861,  and  foreign  capitalists  were  prone  to  dis- 
believe in  the  future  solvency  and  cohesion  of  our  States  as  a  Nation. 

Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day,  neither  did  it  fall  in  a  day;  there  were 
years  of  fighting  against  the  inevitable.  Who  shall  tell  of  the  desper- 
ate struggles  of  business  men  through  1855,  1856  and  the  early  part  of 
1857  to  preserve  at  least  an  appearance  of  solvency?  It  was  just 
twenty  years  after  the  cataclysm  of  1837  that  the  financial  ground  again 
took  to  shaking  under  men's  feet.  On  June  18,1857  the  "Tribune" 
announced  the  protest  of  Chicago  city  orders  for  non-payment.  On 
July  3d,  the  private  banking-house  of  E.  R.  Hinckley  &  Co.  closed. 
On  August  3d  there  was  a  run  on  Hoffman's  bank,  which  it  withstood 
successfully.  On  September  2gth  the  great  banking  house  of  R.  K. 

*  The  witty  John  B.  Calhoun.  local  treasurer  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  once  said  to  the  writer:  "  Curious 
isn't  it.  that  whenever  we  throw  out  a  bill  turned  in  by  a  conductor  and  he  takes  it  back  he  'most  always  finds  the  man 
that  gave  it  to  him  ! "  This  was  a  sarcasm,  the  hidden  meaning  being  that  the  conductor  simply  passed  off  the  worthless 
token  on  some  fresh  victim. 


THE  STUMP-TAIL  CHIMERA. 


245 


Swift,  Brother  &  Co.  failed.  On  November  i6th  the  great  house  of 
Walker,  Bronson  &  Co.,  dealers  in  grain  and  provisions,  suspended  ; 
after  which  everything  seemed  to  go  to  ruin.  An  occurrence  outside 
Chicago  which  was  typical  of  the  state  of  things,  was  the  failure  on 
August  4,  1857,  of  the  Ohio  Life  &  Trust  Company  of  Cincinnati, 
for  $7,000,000.  In  the  vast  upheaval  there  occurred,  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  5,123  bankruptcies,  with  liabilities  amounting  to 
$299,800,000;  a  sum  equivalent  to  $1,000,000,000  in  these  later  and 
larger  times. 

Meanwhile,  namely  on  October  gth  (direful  date  for  catastrophes, 
being  the  same  as  that  of  the  great  Chicago  fire  of  1871),  every  bank  in 


THE  SECONI 


JRT-IIOUSE,    WITH    ITS   ADDED   STORY. 


New  York,  except  the  Chemical,  suspended  payment,  and  most  of  those 
throughout  the  country  followed  suit,  though,  as  we  have  seen,  some  in 
Chicago  stood  firm.  On  that  day,  however,  the  Illinois  Central  railroad 
was  driven  to  the  wall.  The  company,  especially  while  operating  discon- 
nected bits  of  road,  had  not  paid  running  expenses,  and  even  its  great  Tribulation  of 
land  sales  had  furnished  little  ready  cash,  being  made  chiefly  on  credit  ;  central. 
and  being,  besides,  of  mortgaged  lands,  they  yielded  most  ot  their  receipts 
toward  the  redemption  of  bonds,  not  toward  the  payment  of  interest  or 
expenses.  The  Michigan  Southern  railroad  was  also  forced  to  an 
assignment.  The  Alton  road  had  previously  been  in  difficulties  from 
which  it  was  still  suffering.  It  is  not  now  quite  certain  what  other  rail- 
roads were  practically  bankrupt  in  1857,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  tem- 


246 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


porary  insolvency  was  the  rule ;  regular  payment  of  all  demands  when 
due,  the  rare  exception. 

As  ill-luck  would  have  it,  1858  was  another  poor-crop  year.  The 
enforced  liquidation,  return  to  safe  bounds  after  perilous,  disastrous 
inflation,  would  have  been  hard  enough  even  if  nature  had  been  especi- 
ally bountiful  instead  of  exceptionally  niggardly.  As  it  was,  the  feel- 
Hard  times  ing  once  more  prevailed,  that  "hard  times  "  was  the  natural  state  of 
come  again.  human  affajrs .  an(j  ^^  any  other  condition  was  only  a  delusion,  fleet- 
ing and  foolish.  Once  more  we  had  come  to  look  upon  our  currency  as 
mere  token-money;  perhaps  available  to  pay  debts  with,  but  having  no 
special  relation  to  the  coin  which  it  professed  to  represent.  It  was 
(as  had  been  the  trash  of  1837)  called  by  a  contemptuous  nickname, 
only  this  time  instead  of  "wild-cat,"  "red-dog"  or  "shinplaster,"  it  was 
characterized  as  "  stump-tail,"  in  allusion  to  the  diseased  and  mori- 
bund milch-kine  fed  upon  distillery 
slops  in  low,  pesti.'ential  city  milk 
factories. 

By  a  curious  anomaly  in  finance, 
badness  in  the  circulating  medium 
serves  a  certain  purpose  in  expe- 
diting and  facilitating  liquidation 
in  times  of  business  disaster.  Dis- 
trust in  the  currency  prompts  the 
holder  to  thrust  it  upon  his  creditor, 
if  he  have  one.  It  often  happens 
that  instead  of  a  debtor's  flying 
from  him  to  whom  he  is  indebted, 
he  is  seen  pursuing  him  to  force  a 
settlement  Thus  the  questionable  "money"  gets  chiefly  into  the 
hands  of  the  "creditor  class,"  which  class  is,  on  the  whole,  better  able 
to  stand  its  depreciation  than  is  any  other. 

The  natural  law  (announced  by  Gresham  in  the  time  of  Henry 
VIII.),  that  where  two  kinds  of  money  are  available  the  one  having 
least  intrinsic  value  drives  out  the  better  one,  had  operated  on  the  masses 
"*"•  unknowing  of  its  existence.  (As  has  been  wittily  said,  "Nature  plays 
fair,  but  puts  in  force  against  you  all  the  rules  of  the  game,  whether 
you  know  them  or  not.")  Bills  of  banks  at  a  distance  kept  flying  about 
from  hand  to  hand;  but  those  of  sound  Chicago  banks  were  no  sooner 
issued  than  they  were  presented  at  the  counters  of  their  respective  insti- 
tutions for  redemption  in  coin  or  in  Eastern  or  foreign  Exchange. 
This  gave  rise  to  the  natural  expedient  of  locating  banks  at  inaccessi- 
ble points. 


•  ~x~'^.- 


FIRST   UNIVERSALIST   CHURCH. 


THE  STUMP-TAIL   CHIMERA. 

The  Illinois  banking  law  of  1851,  prescribed  that  no  Illinois  bank 
should  issue  its  notes  without  having  first  deposited  with  the  auditor  at 
Springfield,  the  State  bonds  of  Illinois  or  some  other  solvent  State,  in 
amount  equal  to  that  of  the  bills  proposed  to  be  issued.  Then,  and 
not  till  then  could  it  present  its  bills  to  be  countersigned  by  the  auditor; 
and  the  issuance  of  bills  not  so  countersigned  was  an  offense  to  be 
heavily  punished.  Several  good  Chicago  banks  began  business  on  this 
basis;  but  their  bills  came  back  upon  them  nearly  as  fast  as  they  wereIllinoisBanking 
put  forth.  Then  Chicago  men,  desiring  to  earn  the  profit  naturally  a«d.  Currency 
attendant  upon  a  currency  bearing  no  interest,  yet  loanable  on  interest, 
located  many  banks  at  out-of-the-way  places,  small  towns  far  from  any 
railroad  or  river.  Now,  the  bills  being  scattered  in  many  hands,  it  was 
rare  that  enough  were  accumulated  at  one  time  and  place  to  make  it 
worth  any  one's  while  to  send  them  home  for  redemption  in  any  incon- 
venient amounts  This  made,  for  some  years,  a  comparatively  safe  and 
respectable  circulating  medium.* 

But,  as  there  was  a  currency  afloat  intrinsically  poorer,  Gresham's 
law  came  in  and  the  Illinois  banks  were  slowly  driven  to  the  wall. 
Georgia  was  perhaps  the  furthest  off  and  least  accessible  of  the  "money 
factories,"  therefore  we  observe  in  Conductor  Caldwell's  hotch-potch,  27 
Georgia  bills,  and  only  two  from  all  New  England:  To  their  honor  be  it 
said,  most  of  the  Illinois  banks,  compelled  to  wind  upat  this  time,  finally 
redeemed  their  bills  at  par,  or  near  it,  though  forced  to  sell  the  bonds, 
(especially  those  of  the  Southern  States)  at  such  discounts  as  used  up 
all  the  profits  which  had  been  so  easily — and  as  it  seemed  so  safely- 
made  when  they  were  organized.  Men  can  be  named,  now  poor,  who 
were  rich  in  the  days  when  they  were  running  these  banks  at  full  swing 
and  who  impoverished  themselves  to  redeem  the  bills  when  the  bonds 
deposited  for  their  security  became,  through  depreciation,  insufficient  for 
the  purpose. 

Luckily — and  Chicago  has  always  had  a  good  deal   of  this  kind  of 
luck — the  principal  "Georgia  banks  "  owned  in  Chicago  were  run  by  a 
man  who  always  paid  dollar  for  dollar — George  Smith.     Therefore  even  G,°rdK'hfmitl1 
the  despised  Georgia  currency,  so  far  as  he  controlled  it,  was  also  finally    Banks!" 
redeemed  in  full. 

It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  banks  did  not  fail.     They  did,  in  num- 
bers, and  in  their  failure  dragged  down   business  men  by  the  hundred; 

*  Absurd  as  it  may  seem,  this  system  made  it  possible  for  a  shrewd  man  of  good  character  and  credit,  to  start  a 
bank  when  he  had  only  enough  money  to  pay  for  engraving  the  bills!  Thus:  From  a  rich  friend  he  borrows,  say, 
$10,000  worth  of  Missouri  6  per  cent.  State  Bonds.  These  he  deposits  with  the  State  Auditor  and  receives  $10,000  worth 
of  legitimate  bank  bills.  These  he  may  use  to  square  accounts  with  his  rich  friend  ;  or,  slill  better,  he  may,  with  his 
$10,000  in  bills,  buy  another  like  sum  in  bonds  whereon  to  base  another  like  issue  in  bills.  And  so  on,  he  may  turn  his 
fund  over  and  over  until  he  has  say,  $100,000  of  bonds  in  the  State's  custody  drawing  interest,  while  he  has  outstanding 
$100,000  in  currency  bearing  no  interest.  (Of  course  when  he  chooses  to  stop  buying  bonds  he  pays  his  last  $10,000  of 
bills  over  to  the  friend  who  lent  him  the  first  bonds.) 


248 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Chicago  on  the 
Slavery  Ques- 
tion. 


but  in  their  failure  the  sufferers  were  their  depositors,  not  the  bill-hold- 
ers. The  system  was  like  (though  inferior  to)  the  present  "  National 
Bank"  system  ;  in  which  banks  may  and  do  fail,  yet  the  bonds  (all 
National  bonds)  placed  in  the  U.  S.  Treasury  by  such  banks,  remain 
there  and  are  infallibly  enough,  and  more  than  enough,  to  protect  the 
bank-notes  issued  by  the  bank  and  used  by  the  public. 

On  the  whole,  the  position    in  Chicago  from   1857  to  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war  in    1861   was   "  on  the   ragged  edge."     It  was  a  time  of 

retrenchment,  contraction,  liquida- 
tion. In  the  autumn  of  1860,  there 
was  $12,000,000  of  Illinois  cur- 
rency afloat,  secured*  by  $14,000,- 
ooo  of  State  bonds,  of  which  $9,- 
500,000  were  of  the  Slave  States  ! 
Beside  this  mass,  there  was  the 
"  Georgia  currency,"  of  unknown 
volume  ;  and  as  to  gold  and  silver, 
scarcely  enough  to  keep  the  com- 
mon people  in  mind  of  what  it 
looked  like !  Small  change  had 
become  so  scarce  that  extraordi- 
nary expedients  were  resorted  to 
to  accommodate  the  people.  The 
State  law  prohibited  the  issuance 
of  bills  for  a  less  denomination 
than  $i,  but  it  did  not  in  terms 
specify  that  all  bills  must  be  in 
multiples  of  $i  ;  therefore  bills 
\vrrr  issued  for  $1.25  and  $1.50, 
FIRST  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  "Anything  for  change!"  was  the  cry. 

The  financial  disturbance  came  in  company  with  a  political  crisis 
which,  compared  to  it,  was  as  a  cyclone  to  a  zephyr. 

Never,  after  Douglas'  rebuff  at  North  Market  hall  in  1854,  was 
there  any  doubt  as  to  Chicago's  position  on  the  slavery  question.  The 
"  Free  Kansas"  movement  had  her  indorsement  and  support.  Captain 
Andreas  quotes  at  length  from  the  "Tribune"  of  June  2,  i856,an  account  of 
a  meeting,  evidently  composed  of  members  of  both  the  old  parties,  at 
which  men  and  money  were  pledged  to  oppose  the  "  Border  Ruffians:" 

Illinois  alive  and  awake!  Ten  thousand  freemen  in  council!  Two  thousand  Old  Hunkers 
[Democrats]  on  hand!  Fifteen  thousand  dollars  subscribed  for  Kansas! 

The  resolutions  were  as  follows  : 

That  the  people  of  Illinois  will  aid  in  the  freedom  of  Kansas.  That  they  will  send  a  colony 
of  five  hundred  actual  settlers  to  Kansas  and  will  provision  them  for  one  year.  That  these  settlers 


THE  STUMP-TAIL    CHIMERA  249 

will  invade  no  man's  rights,  but  will  maintain  their  own.  .  .  .  That  an  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  seven,  namely,  J.  C.  Vaughan,  Mark  Skinner,  George  W.  Dole,  I.  N.  Arnold,  N.  B.  Judd 
and  E.  I.  Tinkham  be  appointed  with  full  powers  to  carry  into  effect  these  resolutions.  That  Tuthill 
King,  R.  M.  Hough,  C.  B.  Waite,  J.  H.  Dunham,  Dr.  Gibbs,  J.  T.  Ryerson  and  W.  H.  tgan  be  a 
finance  committee  to  raise  and  distribute  material  aid. 

************ 

About  half-past  twelve,  Sunday  having  come,  the  meeting  unwillingly  adjourned  and  the  crowd 
reluctantly  went  home.  At  a  later  hour  the  Star-Spangled  Banner  and  the  Marseillaise,  sung  by 
bands  of  men  whose  hearts  were  full  of  the  spirit  of  those  magnificent  hymns,  were  the  only  evi- 
dences of  the  event  that  we  have  endeavored  to  describe. 

It  is  a  bright  and  enlivening  picture — that  hilarious  and  shouting FreeKansf, 
meeting    of     freedom-lovers,  and    the    groups    straggling    homeward   "5"" 
through  the  "wee  sma'  hours,"  singing  the  freedom-breathing  songs  in  . 

voices  and  volume  which  might  reach  almost  from  one  end  to  the  other 
of  the  little  city.  Well  for  them  that  they  did  not  see  all  the  conse- 
quences that  were  to  flow  from  the  movement  so  blithely  undertaken! 

In  the  next  year  occurred  a  most  significant  event — the  election  of 
the  "Old  Hunker  "-editor  of  the  "Chicago  Democrat,"  John  Went- 
worth,  to  the  mayorality  on  the  Republican  ticket ! 

No  fugitive  slave  was  ever  taken  back  to  slavery  from  Chicago. 
The  efforts  made  in  that  direction  were  futile ;  Chicago  recognized  some 
riehts  as  inherent  in  a  negro,  and  took  care  that  the  white  man  should 

Injustice  to 

admit  them,  whether  the  constitution  did  or  not.  Most  Chicagoans  Judee  Tan«y- 
doubtless  think  to  this  day  that  Justice  Taney  said  that  a  negro  had  no 
rights  which  a  white  man  was  bound  to  respect ;  whereas,  wjiat  he  did 
say  was  quite  different — almost  the  opposite.  He  said  (1857)  that  in 
this  day  it  was  difficult  to  conceive  of  the  state  of  public  sentiment 
regarding  the  negro,  which  prevailed  for  centuries  before  the  constitu- 
tion was  adopted.  He  said  :  "  They  had  been  regarded  as  beings  of  an 
inferior  order  and  altogether  unfit  to  associate  with  the  white  race, 
either  in  social  or  political  relations,  and  so  far  inferior  that  they  had 
no  rights  which  the  white  man  was  bound  to  respect." 

Events  were  crowding  on  thick  and  fast.  In  1857  took  place  the 
celebrated  series  of  "  Joint  Debates"  between  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  in 

»  °  Lincoln-DouK- 

the  effort  to  overthrow  the  Democratic  majority  in  the  Illinois  Legisla-  llsi: 
ture,  and  elect  Lincoln  senator  in  place  of  Douglas.  The  debate  did 
not  elect  Lincoln  to  the  senatorship,  but  it  did  more — it  educated  the 
people  to  elect  him  to  the  Presidency,  three  years  later.  In  1858 
occurred  Join  Brown's  raid  on  Harper's  Ferry,  his  death  and  burial ; 
since  which  "his  soul  goes  marching  on,"  with  a  goodly  host  of  fellow- 
martys  to  the  cause  of  freedom. 

Douglas  stuck  to  his  party  until  its  southern  wing  became  involved 
in  the  movement  for  disunion.  He  saw  the  peril  the  Union  was  in, 
and  tried  to  avert  it  by  concession  and  compromise.  (Perhaps  if  others 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Doujrlas1  strong 
Unionism, 


\ 


under 
Mom.  • 


had  had  as  clear  vision  as  he  to  see  the  approaching  reign  of  blood  and 
horror,  they,  too,  would  have  taken  the  course  which  seemed  to  him  the 
safe  one.)  But  from  the  firing  of  the  memorable  "  first  gun  "  on  Fort 
Sumter,  the  "  Little  Giant,"  true  to  his  life-long  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
the  union  of  the  States,  gave  every  thought  of  his  heart,  and  every  effort 

of  his  great  strength,  to  oppose  those 
who  attacked  it,  although  they  were 
men  whom  he  had  counted  as  friends. 
Secessionist!!,  whether  Northern  or 
Southern,  was  always  fought  by  Mr. 
Douglas,  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end.  No  better  statement  of  his  last 
public  acts  can  be  made  than  that 
given  by  Capt.  Andreas  (2  Hist. 
Chic.  305): 

In  1858,  speaking  from  his  place  on  the  floor 
of  the  Senate,  Douglas  denounced  in  scathing  terms 
the  Harper's  Ferry  insurrection,  and  charged  the 
Republican  party  with  having  abetted,  if  not  insti- 
gated it.  This  was  his  last  public  utterance  of 
sympathy  with  his  old  pro-slavery  allies.  When 
the  cloud  of  secession  appeared  on  the  political 
horizon,  Senator  Douglas  was  one  of  (he  first  to  see 
and  prepare  to  avert  the  coming  storm. 
From  the  moment  when  boomed  the  first  gun  which 
consummated  South  Carolina's  treason,  to  the  hour 
of  his  premature  death,  he  gave  to  the  Federal  gov- 
ernment all  that  he  had  of  time,  of  strength,  and  of 
devotion. 

His  support  of  the  administration  was  hearty 
and  sincere,  and  Abraham  Lincoln  soon  learned  to 
trust  as  a  friend  and  counsellor  the  man  whom  he 
had  long  since  learned  to  respect  as  a  foe.  .  .  . 
On  May  i,  1861,  he  returned  from  Washington  to 
Chicago.  .  .  .  All  parties  united  in  making  his 
return  the  occasion  of  an  ovation.  .  .  .  A  salute 
of  thirty-four  guns  was  fired  as  he  was  escorted  to  the 
old  Wigwam,  which  had  been  rechristened  National 
Hall,  where  he  addressed  an  audience  of  10,000  on 
the  issues  of  the  day.  This  was  his  last  public  ad- 
dress. The  malady  from  which  he  had  long  been 
suffering,  acute  rheumatism,  assumed  a  typhoid 
type.  On  the  morning  of  June  5,  1861,  the  spirit 
of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  took  its  flight. 

Judge  Douglas  lies  under  the  monument  erected  to  his  memory,  by 
the  State  of  Illinois,  on  the  Lake  shore  at  Cottage  Grove  (35th  Street). 

Clouds  do  not  impede  crops  ;  in  fact,  the  alternation  of  storm  and 
sunshine  is  the  condition  of  healthy,  natural  growth  ;  and  this  condition 
surely  has  always  prevailed  in  Chicago.  Under  the  cloud  she  has 
strengthened  and  under  the  sunshine  she  has  blossomed.  So  during 


DOUGLAS   MONUMENT, 


THE  STUMP-TAIL  CHIMERA. 

the  dark  days  that  closed  the  fifties  she  went  on  laying  stone  on  stone 
and  enterprise  on  enterprise.  Street  railroads  began  then.  The  city 
council  in  1856  granted  to  Roswell  B.  Mason  and  Charles  B.  Phillips 
the  right  to  lay  tracks  on  State  Street  from  Randolph  south  to  the 
southern  city  limits  (then  22d  Street)  and  on  Dearborn  and  Franklin 
Streets  north  from  Kinzie  to  the  northern  city  limits  (then  Fullerton 
Avenue).  The  panic  killed  this  grant,  but  in  1858  the  council  passed 

.  ..  ,,  T^II  T^  II-T-.  i  Beginning  of 

another  giving  to  Henry  fuller,  franklin  Parmelee  and  Liberty  Bigelow  ^"lKai1' 
the  right  to  lay  tracks  on  State  Street  and  Cottage  Grove  Avenue,  on 
Archer  Avenue  and  on  Madison  Street.  Ground  was  broken  November 
i,  1858,  in  front  of  the  Garret  block,  on  State  near  Randolph  Street, 
Henry  Fuller  wielding  the  spade  and  William  Bross  the  spike-maul. 
Track  was  laid  from  Randolph  to  Madison  Street,  and  two  cars  were 
run  back  and  forth  (Andreas  says)  greatly  to  the  amusement  of  the 
public  The  line  was  opposed  by  property-owners  but  was  opened  to 
1 2th  Street  on  April  25th,  1859.  It  was  a  single  track  with  turnouts, 
the  cars  running  every  twelve  minutes.  Silver  change  was  becoming 
quite  scarce,  and  the  company  found  it  necessary  to  resort  to  twelve-ride 
punch-tickets,  which  it  sold  at  fifty  cents  ;  and  before  long  these  began 
to  be  used  as  currency  by  the  public,  driven  to  its  wits'  end  by  lack  of 
small  coin  and  forced  to  use  postage-stamps,  milk-tickets,  bread-tickets, 
and  various  other  devices  contrived  by  the  mother  of  invention.  Many 
of  these  tickets  were  worn  out,  lost,  burned,  destroyed  or  laid  away  as 
curiosities  ;  never  presented  for  redemption. 

In  1855  we  bid  good-bye  to  Fort  Dearborn — new  Fort  Dearborn  it 
must  be  called,  in  deference  to  the  structure  burned  by  the  fury  of  the 
savages  during  or  after  their  bloody  deeds  of  August  15th,  1812.  Now 
the  Illinois  Central  bought  the  historic  ground  and  pulled  down  the 
memorable  buildings.  The  old  blockhouse,  so  often  drawn  and  painted, 
lasted  a  year  or  two  longer  than  the  other  fort  buildings.  The  writer  Disapj 
remembers  it  with  its  picturesque  over-hanging  upper  story,  built  in  So™0' 
that  shape  in  order  that  it  might  be  better  defended  from  the  torch  of 
the  Indian.  When  he  looked  at  it,  where  it  stood,  lonely  and  deserted 
on  the  river  bank,  the  thought  struck  him  that  it  ought  to  be  preserved 
as  a  memento  of  departed  perils  and  sufferings.  The  same  thought 
rose  in  the  mind  of  others — even  found  expression  in  the  newspapers— 
but  what  is  everybody's  business  is  nobody's  business.  It  was  moved 
somewhere,  log  by  log,  with  the  idea  of  preservation,  but  now  no  man 
knows  even  the  place  or  manner  of  its  final  disappearance  from  the 
earth,  any  more  than  of  the  immortal  old  "  Kinzie  mansion,"  which  had 
antedated  it  eighty  years,  and  endured  to  within  twenty  years  of  its  end. 

In  1856  a  fine  iron  bridge  (the  first  in  the  West)  was  built  across 


ice 
of  tort  Dear 


252 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


the  river  at  Rush  Street.      Its  cost  was  $48,000,  of  which  the  city  paid 
First irondraw-$J 8,000,  and  the  Galena  and  the  Illinois  Central  railroads  $15,000  each.* 
(The  first  bridge  built  entirely  at   the  city's  cost  was  that  at  Madison 
Street,  put  up  in  1857.) 

December  2,  1858,  the   schooner   "Charles   Howard"   was    driven 


hr.dge. 


SECOND    PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH. 


ashore  off  Lake  View.  The  crew  was  rescued  in  the  yawl-boat  of  the 
"  Mohawk"  manned  by  Captain  Graw,  N.  K.  Fairbank,  Isaac  Walker 
and  Captain  Moore.  (A  story  of  the  rescue  is  appended  to  this 
chapter.) 

The  telegraph  and  express  business  was  growing.  We  reproduce 
statistics  of  railroads  centering  in  Chicago  as  given  in  Bross's  His- 

*  This  bridge  had  a  curious  fate.  In  1863  it  was  destroyed  in  consequence  of  being  opened  while  a  drove  of  cattle 
was  crossing.  They  took  a  stampede  toward  one  of  the  unsupported  ends  and  the  whole  structure  toppled  over,  drown- 
ing the  cattle  and  sinking  into  irretrievable  ruin  at  the  bottom  of  the  river. 


THE  STUMP-TAIL   CHIMERA. 


253 


tory  (p.  77)  up  to  the  close  of  1857.  (The  change  for  the  next  three 
years,  clouded  as  they  were  by  revulsion  and  disaster,  was  not  marked.) 
Mr.  Bross  does  not  give  the  final  column  (earnings  per  mile),  but  it  is 
made  up  from  his  figures  and  is  at  least  nearly  correct.  The  compari-Ra'iroad  miles 

.    i  .  •!  /•       i  and  earnings 

son  with  present  earnings  per  mile  of  the  same  roads  may  be  observed   in  l8"- 
by  those    interested  ;  but   should  be  noted  with  the  fact  that  rates  per 
mile,  both  for  passage  and  freight,  have  fallen  more  than  one-half  since 
those  days,  so  that  twice  as  much  service  is  now  rendered  for  every 
dollar  paid. 

WILLIAM  BROSS'S  TABLE  FOR   1857. 


Railroads,  both  Main  and  Branch. 


Miles. 


Chicago  &  Milwaukee 85 

Kenosha  &  Rockford 1 1 

Racine  &  Mississippi 86 

Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lac 131 

Milwaukee  &  Mississippi 130 

Galena  &  Chicago  Union 121 

Fox  River  Valley 34 

Wisconsin  Central 8 

Beloit  Branch 20 

Beloit  &  Madison 17 

Mineral  Point • 32 

Dubuque  &  Pacific 29 

Galena  (Fulton)  air  line 136 

Chicago,  Iowa  &  Nebraska 36 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 210 

Burlington  &  Missouri 35 

Quincy  &  Chicago 100 

Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph 65 

Chicago  &  Rock  Island 182 

Mississippi  &  Missouri 88 

Peoria  &  Bureau  Valley 47 

Peoria  &  Oquawka 143 

Chicago,  Alton  &  St.  Louis 284 

Illinois  Central 704 

Pittsburgh,  Ft.  Wayne  &  Chicago 383 

Michigan  Southern  &  Northern  Ind 242 

Cincinnati,  Peru  &  Chicago 28 

Michigan  Central 282 

New  Albany  &  Salem 284 


Gross 

Earnings. 


Earnings 
per  mile. 


$794,34° 
870,714 


2,242,977 


Totals 3,953     j$i8,s8o,7io 


•2,275,955 


1,977,257 

998>309 
2,293,965 
1,652,728 

2,186,125 
3,288,340 


$4,364 
3,335 

5,  1  80 


5,55i 


4,298 


3,5'S 
3,258 


8,097 


,703 


The  typical  "grain  of  mustard  seed"  took  root  in  1850  when  the 
Chicago  Board  of  Trade  began  its  corporate  existence.  In  the  outset 
it  did  not  buy  and  sell  and  get  gain;  it  merely  collected  $2  a  year  from 
each  member,  appointed  inspectors  of  fish,  provisions  and  flour,  commit- 
tees on  banking,  etc.,  worked  for  public  good  in  the  matter  of  harbor 
improvements,  canal  tolls,  etc.,  passed  resolutions  concerning  the  free 
navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  Illinois  Central  Land  Grant,  and, 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Union  Stock 
Yards  started. 


in  short,  paid  its  respects  to  nearly  every  subject  except  the  making 
of  money.  (Its  practice  in  this  regard  has  not  continued  unchanged 
to  the  present  time,  1891.)  Under  these  circumstances  we  are  not 
surprised  to  learn  that  at  the  annual  meeting  of  1851  the  membership 
was  only  38,  and  the  Board  almost  hopelessly  in  debt,  owing  $165.96. 
Captain  Andreas  gives  the  following  record  of  attendance:  July  9, 
Present,  C.  Walker.  No  transactions.  July  10. — Present,  C.Walker, 
J.  C.  White,  J.  C.  Walter.  July  12.— Present,  O.  Lunt.  July  13.— 
Present,  none.  July  14. — Present,  none.  July  15. — Present,  C. 

Walker.  July  16.  —  Present,  none. 
July  17. — Present,  J.  C.  W'alter. 
July  1 8. — Present,  none. 
New  rooms  were  rented  at  the 
corner  of  Clark  and  South  Water 
Streets  ;  and  occupied  for  the  first 
time  at  the  fourth  annual  meeting, 
April,  1852. 

In  1853  the  meetings  were  held 
in  rooms  at  No.  8  Dearborn  Street, 
daily,  at  10  A.  M.,  and  "regular  at- 
tendants" were  provided  with 
crackers,  cheese  and  ale.  In  1854, 
the  Board  took  up  the  question 
of  grain  measurement,  which,  up 
to  that  time,  had  all  been  done  by 
the  half-bushel  measure!  Through 
its  efforts  all  the  grain-producing 
States  soon  substituted  weights  for 
measures,  and  thus  made  possible 
the  huge  business  now  carried  on. 
Its  next  great  public  service  was 
ST.  JAMES' CHURCH  AND  PARSONAGE.  tne  beginning,  in  1857,  of  the  an- 

nual reports  of   the  trade,  commerce    and    manufactures   of   Chicago. 
Captain  Andreas  well  says: 

Nearly  all  the  modern  means,  methods  and  facilities  for  transacting  business  or  carrying  on 
either  local  trade  or  foreign  commerce  had  their  inception  in  the  Board,  and  were,  in  their  perfec- 
tion, evolved  from  its  action.  The  inspection,  warehousing  and  shipping  of  grain  in  well  defined 
and  standard  grades;  the  standards  of  inspection  of  flour,  pork,  beef,  lard,  butter,  lumber,  etc.,  were 
all  primarily  established  and  ultimately  perfected  through  its  action.  The  rapid  dissemination  and 
interchange  of  reliable  commercial  news  and  market  quotations  was  evolved  from  the  mutual  neces- 
sities of  Boards  of  Trade  in  the  business  centres  of  the  world.  .  .  .  The  daily  gather- 
ing on  the  floor,  the  Babel  of  trade,  where  more  business  is  done  than  in  any  like  place  in  the  world, 
although  the  most  conspicuous,  is  thus  seen  to  be  but  one  of  the  many  phases  of  its  work.  In  all 
great  crises  the  Board  has  come  to  be  the  true  index  of  the  patriotism,  the  benevolence  and  the 
humanity  of  its  members.  Witness  their  acts  of  humanity  when  Chicago  went  up  in  flame  and 


THE  STUMP-TAIL   CHIMERA. 


*55 


smoke,  and  their  never  failing  loyalty  and  patriotism  in  the  dark  and   troublous  times  of  the  Rebel- 
lion.      The  history  of  these  years  will  in  future  volumes  constitute  the  brightest  pages  in  its  annals. 

The  mayors   from   1850  to    1860  inclusive   were  Curtiss,  Gurnee, 
Gurnee,  Gray,  Milliken,  Boone,  Dyer,  Wentworth,  Haines,  Haines  and 
Wentworth.     The  population  by  years  was  as  follows:     1850,  28,269  ;Pfiu!?sss  in  the 
1851,34,437;  1852,  38,733;   1853,   60,652;    1854,  65,872;   1855,    80,028; 
1856,84,113;   1857,93,000;   1858,  90,000;   1859,  95'°°°;   1860,  112,172. 

In  1850  Chicago  was  an  almost  unknown  wooden  town  in  the 
mud,  in  darkness,  in  comparative  isolation,  save  for  its  lake  and  canal, 
without  water,  without  coal,  without  steam-tugs,  without  draw-bridges 
except  "  floats,"  without  suburbs,  without  a  theatre  though  with  many 
churches,  without  elevators  or  stock 
yards,  almost  without  manufactures. 

In  1860,  Chicago  was  a  thriv- 
ing young  city,  raised  up  and 
drained,  connected  by  rail  and  wire 
with  the  North,  South,  East  and 
West;  having  streets  planked,  cob- 
ble-stoned or  wooden-blocked,  with 
gas,  water,  coal,  stone;  with  stages 
and  the  beginning  of  street  rail- 
roads; with  fine,  high  draw-bridges; 
with  many  large  factories;  many 
papers,  daily  and  weekly;  in  short, 
a  place  of  great  pretensions  and 
still  greater  hopes.  The  best  resi- 
dences were  large,  comfortable, 
hospitable  wooden  houses,  each 
occupying,  with  barn,  green-house, 
out-houses,  garden  and  shrubbery,  the  middle  of  an  entire  square,  hav- 
ing streets  on  its  four  sides. 

The  decade  saw  the  end  of  the  Taylor  and  Fillmore  administration; 
the,  election    where    Franklin    Pierce  defeated    the    veteran    Winfield 
Scott;  the  consequent  disintegration  of  the  Whig  party  and  the  inaugii-Binhof  the  Re- 
ration  of  the  Republican— originally  called  the  "  Fusion  Republican"-       P*"*- 
and  the  political  battle   between  slavery  and  freedom  wherein  slavery, 
under    Buchanan,  achieved  a  temporary  triumph;  and,  all    the  while, 
beneath  the  surface  there  was  the  unconscious  embattling  the    hosts 
that  were  to  fight  out  the  Secession  question  in  the  first  half  of  the 
next  decennial  period. 

And  so,  amid  doubt,  dismay,  determination  and  defiance,  the  after- 
noon of  the  "  fifties"  comes  to  its  sombre  close. 


GEN.  HART  I..  STEWART. 
Friend  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas. 


THR   STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


Wreck  of  the 
"  Charles 
Howard." 


WRECK    OF    THE  "CHARLES    HOWARD." 

NARRATIVE  OP  N.  K.  FAIRBANK. 

On  the  night  of  December  2,  1856,  I  came  into  the  Tremont  House,  where  I  lived,  about  nine 
o'cloqk,  and  found  a  group  of  men  quite  excited  over  a  message  just  received  from  Mr.  Rees.  of  Lake 
View,  that  a  vessel  had  run  ashore  near  the  old  Lake  View  House — that  she  had  struck  on  the  bar, 
so  far  out  that  no  assistance  could  be  rendered  by  the  people  on  shore.  The  sea  was  making  a 
clean  break  over  her;  her  crew  were  in  the  rigging.  It  was  a  very  cold  night  and  a  severe  storm  of 
rain,  sleet  and  snow  was  raging. 

I  started  out  at  once  with  Mr.  C.  L.  Bissell  to  see  if  we  could  not  send  a  life-boat  and  crew  to 
their  rescue.  We  first  found  Colonel  Joseph  Stockton,  who  put  one  of  his  large  trucks,  with  a  good 
four-horse  team  and  several  men,  at  our  disposal,  and  I  think  he  went  himself. 

I  then  went  around  to  several  saloons  on  South  Water  Street  where  sailors  congregate  o'nights, 
and  telling  the  story  of  the  peril  of  the  crew  as  graphically  as  I  could,  called  for  volunteers  to  man 
the  life-boat.  I  soon  had  a  good  crew. 

We  first  tried  to  get  the   government  life-boat,   which  was  stored   on  the  pier  of  Clark  Street 

bridge,  but  found  it  unfit  for  use — no  oars.  etc. 
I  then  went  to  a  propeller  lying  at  the  dock, 
roused  the  captain  and  told  the  story  and  asked 
for  his  life-boat,  which  he  willingly  gave  us. 
(Don't  remember  the  propellor  or  captain.)  We 
quickly  loaded  it  on  the  truck  and  started  them 
off  for  the  scene  of  the  wreck. 

Meantime  I  procured  a  good  supply  of 
whisky,  brandy,  etc.,  and  a  quantity  of  clothing 
and  blankets  to  be  used  in  resuscitating  the  men 
if  we  should  get  them  off,  and  followed  the  truck. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  scene  we  found  a  hun- 
dred people  gathered  on  the  shore.  They  had 
done  all  they  could.  We  built  a  large  fire,  by 
the  light  of  which  we  could  plainly  see  the  vessel 
and  the  crew  in  the  rigging. 

We  were  received  with  shouts,  and  the 
crew  could  see  by  the  light  that  a  boat  had  arrived 
and  help  was  at  hand,  which  they  afterward  said 
encouraged  them  to  hold  on,  although  so  be- 
numbed with  the  cold  that  they  were  on  the  point 
of  giving  up. 

We  had  great  difficulty  in  launching  the 

NATHANIEL   KELLOGG   FAIRBANK.  boat>  as  there    seemed    ,o   be    no    Qne  among  th(, 

sailors  I  had  hurriedly  picked  up  who  was  a  "captain."  The  boat  was  swamped  several  times,  as 
the  water  was  shoal  and  the  seas  very  heavy  They  would  launch  her  on  a  big  wave  and  before  she 
caught  the  next  one  she  would  strike  the  bottom  and  roll  over.  I  finally  called  for  volunteers  and 
took  the  command.  I  put  twelve  men  on  each  side  of  the  boat  and  we  went  into  the  surf  and  out 
far  enough  and  held  her  steady  until  they  could  catch  a  wave  which  we  thought  big  enough  to  float 
them  on  to  the  next  as  she  rose  to  the  top  of  that.  I  shouted  "  let  go  "  to  my  men  and  "give  way  " 
to  the  crew,  and  she  caught  the  next  wave  without  striking  in  the  trough.  This  was  only  accomplished 
after  several  attempts,  so  that  we  were  all  in  the  water  up  to  our  necks  about  half  an  hour;  in  fact 
the  final  wave  that  floated  her  off  lifted  us  off  our  feet  and  washed  us  ashore. 

The  boat  carried  out  a  line  which  I  had  brought  out  and  with  it  reached  the  vessel.  Making 
the  line  fast  to  the  wreck  and  a  tree  on  the  shore,  we  had  a  good  rope  ferry  established  and  landed 
them  all  safely  filankets  and  brandy  soon  made  us  warm,  and  we  returned  to  the  city  none  the 
worse  for  our  adventure,  though  if  that  wreck  had  been  on  a  prohibition  coast,  I  doubt  if  any  one 
of  the  crew  or  participators  in  the  rescue  would  have  been  left  to  tell  the  tale. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

TO  ARMS,   YE  BRAVE  ! 

'HEN  Greek  meets  Greek,  then  comes  the 
tug  of  war.  When  free  men  loyal  to  the 
union  of  States  are  assailed  by  free  men 
loyal  to  the  individual  States,  then  it  is  a 
fight  to  the  death. 

The  story  of  Chicago  during  the  mo- 
mentous days  of  the  Civil  war  is  largely  the 
story  of  the  whole  country,  but  the  limits 
set  for  this  especial  narrative  require  that 
only  so  much  of  the  general  course  of 
events  be  sketched  as  is  indispensable  to 
the  picturing  of  the  city's  doings,  condition 
and  progress. 

Chicago  was  the  place,  1860  was  the 
time  and  the  Republican  convention  the 

circumstance  which  marked  the  opening  of  a  new  era  in  the  national 
career  of  the  United  States  of  America. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  if  the  selection  of  a  place  for  the  convention 
had  been  left  to  New  York,  Chicago  would  not  have  been  chosen.  The 
writer  well  remembers  the  mixture  of  surprise,  amusement  and  incredu- 
lity with  which  was  received  the  whisper  that  Mr.  Seward  and  the  New 
York  delegation  had  brought  along  some  hired  professional  bruisers  to 
see  to  their  personal  safety  !  We  peaceful,  order-loving  Chicagoans 
could  scarcely  believe  that  anybody  should  have  an  idea  that  we  were 
so  bad  as  to  be  dangerous  to  visitors,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  so  weak  as 
to  be  unable  to  defend  them  from  violence.  But  there  they  were — Mr. 
Thomas  Hyer  (whom  we  recognized  from  his  prize-ring  pictures)  and 
other  lights  in  the  sporting  world  registered  at  the  Richmond  House  on 
the  same  page  with  Mr.  William  H.  Seward  and  the  other  lights  of 
Eastern  politics.  To  tell  the  truth,  the  confident  expectation  was  enter- 
tained at  the  East  that  Mr.  Seward  would  be  the  nominee,  and  it  was 
equally  expected  that  his  nomination  would  lead  to  mob  violence  against 
the  Eastern  man  by  the  disappointed  adherents  of  the  Western  favorite. 
Lincoln  had  been  a  candidate  for  nomination  to  the  Vice-presidency 
with  Fremont  at  the  Philadelphia  convention  in  1856,  receiving  about  a 
third  of  the  votes  cast,  Mr.  Dayton  getting  the  other  two-thirds.  In 
1857  he  wrote  a  letter  saying  that  he  and  his  friends  were  "setting  no 

257 


Republican 
Convention 
of  1861. 


Sewurd  and  the 
New  Yorkers. 


THE   STORY  OF   CHICAGO. 


Lincoln  on 
his  own 
Candidacy. 


stakes  against  Seward."  In  1858  he  made  his  carefully  considered  dec- 
laration of  opinion  that  the  Union  could  not  endure  half  free  and  half 
slave.  In  the  same  year  he  said:  "  Nobody  ever  expected  me  to  be 
President.  In  my  poor,  lean,  lank  face  nobody  has  ever  seen  that  any 
cabbages  were  sprouting."  In  1859  he  made  his  wonderful  speech  at  the 
Cooper  Institute,  New  York;  facing  a  magnificent  audience  of  all  the 
best  citizens,  and  having  on  the  platform  with  him  William  Cullen 
Bryant,  Horace  Greeley  and  a  large  number  of  others  of  the  leaders  of 
thought  in  the  country.  Then  the  break  in  the  Democratic  ranks  at 
Charleston  and  Baltimore  made  the  success  of  the  Republicans  probable, 
and  his  friends  grew  more  and  more  urgent  in  his  behalf,  he  himself 
being  the  most  reluctant  to  take  up  the  idea. 

Mr.  Seward  seemed  to  have  everything  in  his  favor.     He  was  an 


WIGWAM. 


Mischances. 


experienced  politician  and  statesman — a  governor,  senator,  scholar  and 
gentleman.  Ninety-nine  in  the  hundred  of  the  thinking  men  would 
nd  have  said  in  their  hearts  (and  been  utterly  wrong  in  saying  it)  that  he 
would  make  the  best  possible  President.  "  Practical  Politics  "  would  say 
that,  though  he  might  be  the  best  President,  he  would  not  be  the  best 
candidate,  seeing  that  the  enemies  he  had  made  would  lose  him  the 
"doubtful  States,"  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Indiana  and  Illinois. 

The  Lincoln  headquarters  were  at  the  Tremont  House,  as  the  Seward 
rallying  point  was  at  the  Richmond  (Michigan  Avenue  and  South  Water 
Street).  The  Seward  men  had  plenty  of  money,  brass  bands,  flags, 
torches  and  "  organization.  "  The  Lincoln  men  had  David  Davis  and 
the  common  people  from  all  over  the  West  to  the  number  of  40,000. 
Chicago  was  crammed  to  overflowing.  On  the  night  before  the  opening 
of  the  convention  Horace  Greeley  (who  was  not  giving  Seward  a  hearty 


TO   ARMS,     YE  BRAVE! 


259 


support)  telegraphed  his  "Tribune"  that  Seward  was  sure  to  be  nominated 
because  the  opposition  could  not  unite  on  either  of  the  other  candidates, 
Lincoln,  Dayton,  Chase,  Cameron 
and  Bates. 

On  the  morning  of  May  16 
1860,  the  convention  met  and  be- 
gan its  labors ;  George  Ashmun  of 
Massachusetts  being  made  chair- 
man. May  1 8th  was  nomination- 
day,  and  the  Seward  crowd  indis- 
creetly marched  about  the  streets 
in  a  noisy  procession  all  through  a 
precious  hour  during  which  the 
hall,  except  the  part  reserved  for 
delegates,  was  quietly  occupied  by 
the  Western  men;  so  that  when  the 
procession  arrived  but  a  small  part 
of  it  could  find  even  standing 

room.     Senator  Evarts  nominated  THK  RFV-  ROBERT 

Mr.  Seward,  and  the  New  York  Delegates  shouted,  but  the  audience  made 
but   slight   demonstration.       Then    Norman    B.    Judd   nominated    Mr. 

Lincoln,  and  his  sympathizers  made  them- 
selves heard  in  no  uncertain  tone.  The 
other  possible  candidates  were  named. 
Indiana  seconded  Lincoln  with  increased 
demonstrations  from  outside,  and  Michi- 
gan seconded  Seward,  who  also  had  an 
ovation.  A  portion  of  the  Ohio  delega- 
tion added  its  voice  to  the  nomination  of 
Lincoln,  which  was  the  signal  for  a  demon- 
stration from  the  Westerners,  which 
dwarfed  all  previous  experience.  So  says 
a  gentleman  who  was  present:  "  It  wasn't 
a  shout,  it  was  worse  than  a  shout.  It  was 
an  unbridled  shriek  such  as  I  never  heard 
before  nor  since.  It  was  almost  unearthly. 
It  made  the  wigwam  shiver.  It  made  a 
cold  sweat  come  out  on  the  brows  of  the 
members  of  the  New  York  delegation." 

For  a  picture  of  the  final  scene  nothing  better  can  be  said  than  the 
words  of  an  article  in  the  Chicago  "Tribune"  of  September  5,  1891  :* 

*  The  Chicago  Tribune  of  t86o  must  be  credited  with  a  piece  of  journalistic  enterprise  which  was   unprecedented 
in  those  days.     It  reported  the  convention  in  full,  proceedings,  speeches,  aspect  and  occurrences  of  ail  kinds. 


Scenes  in  the 
Wigwam. 


DR.  MOSES   Ol'NX. 


260 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  Balloting. 


Union  Mass 
Meeting  at 
Bryan  Hall. 


The  roll  was  called  and  the  result  of  the  first  ballot  was,  Seward,  173^;  Lincoln,  102.  A  second 
roll  call  was  ordered  and  the  result  was  a  gain  of  179  for  Lincoln.  All  the  complimentar.es  had 
come  to  him.  Seward  had  gained  II .  The  result  was,  Seward,  184^;  Lincoln,  181,  scattering  ()f)%. 
Then  the  Lincoln  crowd  continued  their  hurrahs,  yells  and  shrieks.  No  string  of  adjectives,  no 
matter  how  ably  they  might  be  arranged,  could  do  justice  to  the  scene. 

On  the  third  ballot  Lincoln  got  ....  231 J^,  Seward,  180.  Total  votes  cast,  465;  neces- 
sary to  a  choice,  233.  Lacking  to  nominate,  ij£.  A  breathless  moment  actually  came  upon  that 
scene.  The  stillness  was  so  effective  that  the  flutter  of  fans  by  the  ladies  and  the  scratching  of  pen- 
cils by  the  reporters  could  be  heard  distinctly.  If  New  York  could  rally,  the  tide  might  yetbe 
turned  to  Seward.  Lincoln  must  win  the  next  turn  or  he  was  liable  to  fall  back  and  be  lost.  An 
Ohio  Delegate  got  up  and  announced  a  change  of  four  votes  from  Chase  to  Lincoln.  There  was 
another  pause.  The  teller  waved  his  tally  sheet  and  announced  a  name.  There  was  a  cannon  which 
the  Lincoln  men  had  planted  on  the  roof  of  the  wigwam  to  be  fired  off  when  the  nomination  was 
made.  The  cannonier  got  a  tip  and  the  explosion  occurred.  It  shook  that  section  of  the  earth,  and 
the  great  crowd  in  the  streets  yelled  and  shrieked  and  jostled  ....  The  teller  announced  that 
Lincoln  had  received  364  votes.  Senator  Evarts  moved  to  make  the  nomination  unanimous. 

The  momentous  election  of  November,  1860,  passed  off  quietly. 
Illinois  gave  Lincoln  over  Douglas  11,646  majority;  Cook  County 

giving4,743.  (In  1856  Illinois  had 
given  Buchanan  over  Fremont 
9,098;  Cook  County  3,340  Fremont 
over  Buchanan.) 

On  Saturday  evening,  April  13,  1861,  tele- 
graphic dispatches  announced  the  bombardment 
of  Fort  Sumter.  The  following  day  was  .  .  . 
one  of  those  beautiful,  cloudless  Spring  days 
that  visit  the  West,  and  in  the  sweet  April  air 
floated  the  old  flag  from  every  spire  and  bal- 
cony, office  and  warehouse,  mast  and  dwelling. 
From  early  morning  until  late  at  night  the  usually 
quietSunday  streets  were  thronged  with  an  eager, 
indignant,  troubled  people,  all  intent  on  one  sub- 
ject ana  swayed  by  one  common  feeling.  Men 
of  all  parties  talked  only  of  the  indignity  done  the 
flag  of  the  country,  and  the  necessity  of  preserv- 
ing its  honor  as  a  priceless  heritage 

Dr.    Patton,  at  the  First  Congregational  Church, 
told  his  congregation  that  the  crisis  had  arrived 
GKN.  ].  B.  LF.AKE.  in   which  every  Christian  might   rise  from   his 

knees  and  shoulder  his  rifle,  and  that  Sumter,  if  taken  by  the  foe  like  Bunker  Hill,  so  like  Bunker 
Hill  it  must  be  retaken.  Robert  Collyer,  at  the  Second  Unitarian;  Mr.  Corning,  at  the  Plymouth 
Congregational,  and  indeed  the  preachers  at  nearly  every  church  in  the  city,  spoke  only  of  "war 
and  rumors  of  war."  (2d  Andreas,  160.) 

On  April  i8th  a  mass-meeting  was  held  in  Bryan  and  Metropolitan 
Halls.  At  the  former  a  Union  defence  fund  was  started,  to  which 
$9,000  was  at  once  subscribed;  $36,000  before  the  close  of  the  next  day. 
The  banks  of  Chicago  offered  the  Governor  $500,000  to  be  used  in  the 
Union  cause  in  advance  of  the  assembling  of  the  Legislature.  A  War 
Finance  Committee  was  appointed,  which  later  was  merged  in  the 
"  Union  Defence  Committee,"  composed  of  Judges  John  M.  Wilson, 
Grant  Goodrich,  Van  H.  Higgins,  Thomas  Drummond  and  George 
Manierre,  and  Messrs.  E.  W.  Willard,  John  M  Douglas,  Thomas 


TO   ARMS,    YF.   BRAVE! 


261 


Hoyne,  Thomas  B.  Bryan,  A.  H.  Burley,  Edwin  C.  Larned,  James.  H. 
Bowen,  J.  C.  Dore,  H.  D.  Colvin,  John  Van  Arman,  George  Schneider, 
Eliphalet  Wood,  Rosell  M.  Hough,  P.  L.  Yoe  and  Charles  G.  Wicker 
and  Colonel  Joseph  H. 'Tucker. 

Chicago,  like  all  other  cities,  had  had  companies  of  "citizen  soldiery" 
from  time  to  time,  no  two  alike  in  arms,  uniform,  accoutrements  or  outfit. 
Like  other  Northern  cities  she  had  given  these  self-sacrificing  little 
bands  scanty  support  and  encouragement.  The  adversity  of  the  last 
few  years  had  worked  against  the  militia-men,  and  they  had  been  too 
busy  to  give  time,  toil  and  attention  to  the  thankless  task,  and  too  poor 
to  pay  for  arms,  clothing,  armory-rent  and  the  many  other  things 
required  by  such  organizations  as  theirs.  So,  in  fact.  1861  found  this 
city,  containing  i  io,oooinhabitants, 
possessed  of  not  more  than  150 
armed,  drilled  and  equipped  militia- 
men. The  exigencies  of  the  hour 
now  moved  the  public-spirited  citi- 
zens to  fill  up  and  improve  these 
skeleton  companies  so  that,  when 
on  April  iqth  Governor  Yates 
called  on  Gen.  R.  K.  Swift  to  take 
what  men  and  arms  he  could  mus- 
ter and  with  them  occupy  Cairo, 
he,  in  two  days,  started  with  595 
men  and  four  six-pounders  and 
took  temporary  possession  of  the 
important  point — a  point,  by  the 
way,  south  of  the  latitude  of  Rich- 
mond, Va.  The  companies  A  and  GEN  RICHARD  s.  TUTHH.L. 
B  Chicago  Zouaves,  commanded  by  James  R.  Hayden  and  John  H. 
Clybourn  (it  is  pleasant  to  recognize  this  pioneer  name  again!);  Chicago 
Light  Infantry,  Captain  Frederick  Harding;  Turner  Union  Cadets, 
Captain  Kowald  ;  Lincoln  Rifles,  Captain  Mihalotzy ;  Chicago  Light 
Artillery,  Captain  James  Smith. 

The  President's  call  for  75,000  volunteers  for  three  months  quickly 
followed,  and  six  regiments  were  demanded  from  Illinois.  Out  of  regard 
for  the  six  volunteer  regiments  (numbered  one  to  six),  which  Illinois  had 
sent  to  the  Mexican  war,  these  new  battalions  were  numbered  seven  to 
twelve.  Chicago  at  once  recruited  two  companies,  which  were  both 
incorporated  in  the  Twelfth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  under  Colonel 
(afterward  Brigadier-General)  John  McArthur.  The  Twelfth  was, 
therefore,  the  first  volunteer  regiment  embodying  Chicago  troops.  The 


in  1860. 


262 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


izth  and  igth 
Regiments. 


33d ;  Irish- 
American. 


Hecker  Jaeger 
Regiment. 


companies  were  A,  Captain  Kellogg;  and  K,  Captain  James  R.  Hugunin; 
General  A.  L.  Chetlain  and  General  A.  C.  Ducat  were  later  connected 
with  this  pioneer  among  the  regiments. 

The  next  regiment  to  be  noticed  is  the  Nineteenth,  one  of  those 
organized  under  the  "Ten  Regiments  Bill."  It,  like  the  Twelfth,  was 
made  up  of  companies  from  different  parts  of  the  State.  It  was  largely 
composed  of  bodies  of  militia  which  had  been  organized  years  before; 
the  Highland  Guards  (1855)  and  the  Chicago  Zouaves  (1856), 
which  hastened  to  Cairo  under  General  Swift  as  before-mentioned, 
formed  three  of  its  companies.  It  was  mustered  into  service  "for three 

years  or  during  the  war,"  on  May 
4,  1 86 1,  under  Colonel  John  B. 
Turchin,  an  educated  soldier  and 
engineer  and  an  eminent  comman- 
der all  through  the  war.  The  Chi- 
cago Zouaves  were  the  company 
which,  under  the  guidance  and  in- 
spiration of  Colonel  Ellsworth, 
became  famous  for  drill  and  disci- 
pline in  1859  and  1860,  making  a 
tour  of  the  United  States  and  giv- 
ing exhibition  drills  in  Michigan, 
Ohio,  New  York,  Massachusetts, 
Pennsylvania,  Washington,  Mis- 
souri and  Illinois,  and  being  filed 
and  praised  to  the  utmost.  It  is 
said  that,  on  their  return  to  Chi- 
cago, with  all  the  decorations  which 
had  been  showered  upon  them, 
they  "looked  like  a  Christmas  tree." 
The  Nineteenth  was  a  battle  regiment.  To  follow  it  through  its 
trials  and  triumphs  and  its  immense  sacrifices,  would  be  to  write  a 
story  of  the  war  in  the  West.  We  are  only  writing  the  Story  of  Chi- 
cago. 

The  Twenty-third  was  raised  in  response  to  a  call  to  the  Irish, 
signed  by  James  A.  Mulligan  and  other  patriotic  Irish-Americans.  It 
was  mustered  in  June  I5th,  1861,  under  the  colonelcy  of  James  A.  Mul- 
ligan. The  Twenty-third  earned  battle  fame  sooner  than  any  other 
Chicago  regiment,  through  its  heroic  fight  at  Lexington,  Missouri,  Sep- 
tember 18,  1861.  General  Mulligan  was  killed  at  Kernstown  in  1864. 

The  Twenty-fourth  was  composed  of  German  companies,  and 
originally  called  the  "  Hecker  Jaeger  regiment."  Two  of  its  companies 


JOSEPH   MEDILL. 


TO    ARMS,    YE   BRAVE! 


263 


UNION  DEFENCE  COMMITTEE  OF  CHICAGO,    ORGANIZED  IN  18CI. 


364 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


34th ;    German. 
American . 


37th;  Fremont 
Rifles. 


39th;  Yates 
Phalanx. 


had  been  the  "Union  Cadets"  and  the  "  Lincoln  Rifles,"  which  formed 
part  of  the  original  Cairo  expedition.  The  regiment  was  mustered  in 
on  July  8,  1861.  It  was  made  of  good  men  as  its  conduct  showed  later. 
The  Thirty-seventh  was  organized  by  Julius  White,  under  the  name 
of  the  "  Fremont  Rifle  Regiment."  It  was  mustered  in  September  18, 
1861.  Mr.  White  was  its  first  Colonel ;  upon  his  promotion  to  brigadier- 
general,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Barnes  took  command,  and  at  the  bloody 
fight  of  Pea  Ridge  it  was  led  by  Major  (afterward  General)  John  Charles 
Black,  who  was  severely  wounded. 

The  Thirty-ninth    Regiment   was   called   the  Yates    Phalanx.     It 

was  mustered  in  in  August,  1861; 
Thomas  O.  Osborne  being  unani- 
mously elected  colonel,  but  resign- 
ing in  favor  of  Austin  Light,  who 
had  been  a  sergeant  in  the  regular 
army  and  had  served  in  the  Mexi- 
can war.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Os- 
borne and  Major  O.  L.  Mann  in 
succession  came  to  command  the 
Thirty-ninth ;  and  under  Colonel 
Mann  it  had  the  distinction  of  tak- 
ing by  assault  Fort  Wagner. 

The  Forty-second  was  organ- 
ized in  Chicago  and  mustered  into 
service  September  17,  1861,  under 
Colonel  William  A.  Webb.     Mur- 
WILLIAM  DE  WOLF.  *  freesboro  was  its  first  severe  battle- 

experience,  though  it  fought  at  Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge,  and  at 
4*d  infantry,    many  other  places  where  service  was  to  be    rendered   and    sacrifices 
were  to  be  made,  ending  with  the  terribly  glorious  day  of   Franklin, 
Tennessee. 

The  Fifty-first  was  made  up  of  home  companies  and  called  the 
Chicago  Legion.  It  was  mustered  in  December  4,  1861,  under  the 
colonelcy  of  Gilbert  W.  Cumming,  who  was  later  succeeded  by  Luther 
P.  Bradley.  Its  service  was  much  like  that  of  the  Forty-second; 
Murfreesboro,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge,  Peach-tree 
Creek,  Atlanta,  and  other  names  connected  with  bloody  fighting. 

The  Fifty-seventh,  called  the  "  National  Guards,"  was  mustered  in 
December  26,  1861,  under  Colonel  Silas  D.  Baldwin.  It  served  at  the 
capture  of  Fort  Donelson  and  the  bloody  battle  of  Shiloh. 

*  Son  of  William  F.  De  Wolf,  an  old  citizen  of  Chicago.  The  young  soldier  was  wounded  at  Donelson.  At 
Williamsburg,  May  4,  1862,  he  got  a  wound  in  the  left  thigh  from  a  shell  which  killed  his  horse  ;  caught  another  horse  and 
kept  his  post,  received  a  bullet  in  his  right  knee  ;  yet  stuck  to  his  battery  all  day  !  He  died  of  his  wounds  June  3 


5ist;  Chicago 
Legion. 


57th ;  National 
Guards. 


TO  ARMS,    YE  BRAVE! 


265 


The  Fifty-eighth,  called  the  "McClellan  Brigade,"  was  mustered  in 
January  25,  1862,  under  Colonel  William  F.  Lynch.  It  fought  at  Donelson 
(only  a  few  weeks  after  it  left  Chicago),  and  again  at  Shiloh,  where  it 
suffered  heavily. 

The  Sixty-fifth,  known  as  the  "Scotch  Regiment,"  was  mustered 
in  on  May  5,  1862,  under  Colonel  Daniel  Cameron.  Its  service  was 
severe  and  ended  with  the  great  battle  of  Franklin  and  the  subsequent 
pursuit  of  the  enemy. 

The  Seventy-second  was  known  as  the  "  Board  of  Trade  Regi- 
ment," that  institution  taking  the  initiative  and  bearing  the  expenses  of 
the  organization.  It  was  (what  most  of  the  regiments  were  not)  made 


S8lh;  McClellan 
Brigade. 


6sth:  Scotch 
Regiment. 


72(1;  Board  of 
Trade. 


GEN.  AUGUSTUS  L.  CHETLAIN. 


GEN.  ARTHUR  C.  DUCAT. 


up  almost  entirely  of  Chicago  officers  and  men.  It  was  mustered  in 
on  August  23,  1862,  under  Colonel  F.  A.  Starring.  It  suffered  terribly 
in  the  fruitless  and  ill-advised  assault  on  Vicksburg  on  May  22,  1863. 
It  was  in  the  battle  of  Franklin,  where  its  lieutenant-colonel,  Joseph 
Stockton,  was  severely  wounded. 

The  Eighty-second  was  called  "the  Second  Hecker  Regiment," 
being,  like  the  Twenty-fourth,  largely  German.  It  was  mustered  into 
service  October  23,  1862,  under  Colonel  Frederick  Hecker,  who  was 
succeeded  by  Col.  Edward  S.  Saloman.  Its  first  heavy  fights  were  in 
the  East,  at  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg;  then  it  returned  westward 
and  fought  at  Resaca  and  Peach  Tree  (where  the  men  are  said  to  have 
fired  more  than  140  rounds  apiece),  and,  after  the  march  to  the  sea, 
closed  with  the  battle  of  Bentonville.  As  might  be  expected  the  losses 
of  this  regiment  stand  almost  unrivaled  in  the  history  of  the  war. 


82d;  Second 
German- 
American. 


266 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


38th;  second 

Board  of 


goth;  Irish 
Legion. 


The  Eighty-eighth  was  the  "  Second  Board  of  Trade  Regiment."  It 
was  mustered  in  on  August  27,  1862,  under  Colonel  Francis  T.  Sher- 
man. Its  baptism  of  fire  was  at  Perryville,  the  first  of  many  fights. 

The  Eighty-ninth  was  called  the  "  Railroad  Regiment,"  being 
organized  under  the  supervision  of  Robert  Forsyth,  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral and  W.  D.  Manchester,  of  the  Michigan  Southern.  It  was  mus- 
tered in  September  4,  1862,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hotchkiss.  Like 
so  many  other  Chicago  regiments,  the  first  battle  of  the  Eighty-ninth 
was  Murfreesboro,  and  its  last  Nashville. 

The  Ninetieth  was  called  the  "  Irish  Legion."  It  was  mustered  in 
September  22,  1862,  under  Colonel  Timothy  O'Meara,  and  on  Novem- 
ber 25th,  fought  its  first  battle,  at 
Mission  Ridge.  Its  last  was  at  Ben- 
ton  ville,  March  21,  1865,  and  it 
fought  on  many  fields  between. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Thir- 
teenth was  the  "  Third  Board  of 
Trade  Regiment."  It  was  mus- 
tered in  on  October  i,  1862,  under 
Colonel  George  B.  Hoge.  Its  first 
serious  fight  was  the  taking  of  Ar- 
kansas Post  in  January,  1863. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twen- 
ty-Seventh was  mustered  in  on  Sep- 
tember 6,  1862,  under  Colonel  John 
Van  Arman.  It  took  part  in  the 
terrible  seige  of  Vicksburg  in  1863, 
and  in  all  the  subsequent  struggles 
of  that  force,  including  the  March  to  the  Sea  and  the  actions  of  Fayette- 
ville  and  Bentonville.  It  is  claimed  for  it  that  it  marched  3,000  miles 
and  was  in  100  engagements. 

The  Fourth  Cavalry  had  many  Chicago  men;  among  others 
M.  R.  M.  Wallace,  later  county  judge  of  Cook  county. 

The  Eighth  Cavalry  (Col.  Farnsworth)  was  not  a  Chicago  troop, 
though  Chicago  furnished  it  at  least  one  distinguished  officer:  Major 
William  H.  Medill,  brother  of  Joseph  Medill,  for  many  years  a  the 
head  of  the  Chicago  "Tribune."  The  regiment  won  fame  unsurpassed  by 
that  of  any  cavalry  regiment  in  the  whole  war,  largely  through  the  gal- 
lant leadership  of  Major  Medill,  who  gave  his  life  to  the  cause  ;  being 
killed  in  a  bold  effort  to  check  Lee's  retreat  after  Gettysburg. 

The  Ninth  Cavalry  was  mustered  into  service  November  30,  1861, 
under  Col.  Albert  G.  Bracket.  The  Twelfth  Cavalry  was  mustered  in 


GEN.    JOHN    C.    BLACK. 


TO  ARMS,    YE  BRAVE! 


267 


h  and  i7th 
Cavalry. 


in  February,  1862,  under  Colonel  Arno  Voss,  succeeded  by  Lieut.-Col. 
Hasbrouck  Davis.  The  Thirteenth  Cavalry  was  mustered  in  late  in 
1 86 1  under  Col.  Joseph  W.  Bell.  The  Sixteenth  Cavalry  was  made  up 
of  companies  organized  from  time  to  time  and  mustered  in  in  June,  1863, 
under  Col.  Christian  Thielemann.  The  Seventeenth  Cavalry  was  mus- 
tered in  on  January  22,  1864,  under  Col.  John  L.  Beveridge,  afterward 
governor  of  Illinois. 

The  old  Chicago  Light  Artillery  was  in  existence  as  early  as  1854. 
On  April  19,  1861,  when  men  were  called  for  to  seize  and  hold  Cairo,  Anility, 
the  company  was  recruited  up  to  its  full  strength  in  three  hours  after 
the  call  was  received,  and  the  battery  formed  part  of  the  expedition  sent 
down  under  General  Swift.  It  later 
formed  Batteries  "A"  and  "  B  "  and 
fought  through  the  war,  beginning 
with  Donelson  and  Shiloh.  Battery 
B,  Light  Artillery,  known  as 
Bridges's  battery,  was  formed  of 
Company  G,  Nineteenth  Infantry. 
After  receiving  its  guns  it  served 
through  the  heavy  operations,  be- 
ginning at  Chickamauga,  and  end- 
ing with  Franklin  and  Nashville. 
Company  I,  First  Artillery  "Bou- 
ton's  Chicago  Battery,"  was  mus- 
tered in  on  February  10,  1862,  and 
saw  hard  service  at  Shiloh.  Battery 
L,  Second  Artillery,  "Bolton's  Bat- 
tery," was  mustered  in  on  February 

28,  1 862,  and,  among  other  services,  took  part  in  the  Siege  of  Vicksburg. 
Battery  M,  Second  Light  Artillery,  "  Phillip's  Battery,"  was  mustered  in 
June  6,  1682.  The  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  Battery  was  mustered  in  on 
August  i,  1862.  It  had  the  inestimable  advantage  of  the  captaincy  of  James 
H.  Stokes,  of  the  regular  army,  who  had  been  instructor  of  artillery  at 
West  Point.  Its  services  were  in  accordance  with  its  name  and  leader- 
ship. The  Chicago  Mercantile  Battery  was  mustered  in  on  August  29, 
1862,  and  served  through  the  war. 

It  need  not  be  said  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  troops  in  these 
regiments,  squadrons  and  batteries  came  from  parts  of  the  State  outside 
of  Chicago.  It  is  also  true  that  many  Chicago  men  joined  other  regi- 
ments than  those  here  named. 

ChicaofO  commissioned  officers  who  were  killed  in  action  or  died  of 

o 

wounds  are  given    by    Captain    Andreas  (2  Hist.  Chi.  p.  288-299)  as 


GENERAL   I.YMAN   KRIUCKS. 


Stokes'  Board 
of  Trade 
Batter  y. 


268 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Dealh-Koll 
of  Honor. 


Typical  Memoir 
of  one 
Chicago 
Officer. 


follows:  Joseph  R.  Scott,  James  A.  Mulligan,  James  Nugent,  Thomas 
Cliff,  Geza  Mihalotzy,  Nathan  E.  Davis,  Charles  J.  Wilder,  George  W. 
Roberts,  David  Stuart,  Edward  H.  Brown,  Julius  Lettman,  George  C. 
Smith,  Alfred  O.  Johnson,  Henry 
W.  Hall,  John  S.  Keith,  Thomas 
T.  Lester,  George  L.  Bellows,  Otis 
Moody,  Henry  A.  Buck,  Robert 
D.  Adams,  Theodore  M.  Doggett, 
Joseph  C.Wright,  Henry  C.Mowry, 
Richard  Pomeroy,  Edwin  C.  Prior, 
Frederick  Bechstein,  George  W. 
Chandler,  Charles  H.  Lane,  Thos. 
F.  W.  Gullen,  Henry  W.  Bingham, 
Duncan  J.  Hall,  William  H.  Rice, 
Henry  L.  Rowell,  John  W.  Spink, 
Herbert  M.  Blake,  James  J.  Con- 
way,  John  A.  Bross,  Henry  A. 
Rodgers,  George  Throop,  Joseph 
W.  Barr,  William  H.  Medill, 

Frederick      Schaumbeck,      William  COL-  ALBERT  ERSKINE,  13™  CAVALRY. 

De  Wolf,  John  H.  Kinzie  (Jr.)  Lucius  S.  Larrabee  and  Richard  Skin- 
ner. (The  last  four  names  are  inscribed  on  the  tablet  erected  in  the 
vestibule  of  St.  James'  church  in  memory  of  its  parishioners  who  were 

soldiers  in  the  Union  War.)* 

To  lighten  these  cold-blooded  details  with 
the  touch  of  nature  that  "makes  the  whole  world 
kin,"  read  a  bit  of  biography  typical  of  our  best 
volunteer  officers.  Major  William  H.  Medill 
entered  (at  26)  Barker's  Dragoons,  the  first  troop 
formed  in  Chicago,  signing  the  roll  two  days 
after  the  fall  of  Sumter.  This  squadron  took 
part  in  McClellan's  short,  brilliant  campaign  in 
West  Virginia.  At  the  affair  near  Beverley  the 
Dragoons  fought  on  foot  with  their  carbines. 
Private  Medill  (always  among  the  foremost) 
advancing  through  the  woods,  saw  a  rebel  lieu- 
tenant aiming  at  him  from  behind  a  tree. 
Taking  a  tree  of  his  own,  he  waited  till  the  rebel 
had  fired  and  missed  ;  then,  rushing  forward 
before  the  other  could  re-load,  he  called  to  him, 
in  the  stormy  language  natural  to  the  occasion, 
to  surrender  or  he  would  let  daylight  through 
him.  In  short  order  there  was  a  rebel  prisoner 
marching  to  the  rear,  and  now  (1891)  his  straight, 
rapier-like  sword  hangs  in  Joseph  Medill's  hall, 
,  ,,,r.,,,  crossed  with  that  of  the  captor's  sword  and  with 

V\  I  I ,  [ .  I  A  M     rl.     Mr.llll.i,. 

another  taken  later  in  somewhat  similiar  fashion. 
It  was  at  Ashby'sGap  in  1863.    Medill,  now  Major  of  the  Eighth  Illinois  Cavalry,  was  attacking 

*  This  list  is  necessarily  extremely  imperfect.       It  is  hopeJ  that  its  publication  in  this  shape  will  lead  to  the 
receipt  of  facts  to  make  it  more  nearly  «  true  and  complete  Roll  of  Honor. 


RICHARD  SKINNER.* 


*  Omitted  in  first  edition,  to  appear  in  its  place  in  subsequent  editions. 


TO  ARMS,    YE  BRAVE! 


269 


Stewart's  Cavalry  guarding  the  Gap.     A  little  sergeant  of  the  Eighth,  somewhat  separated  from    the 

command,  was  marked  for  capture  by  the  Colonel  of  the  Eleventh  Virginia  Cavalry.  Major  Mcdill  put 

spurs  to  his  "big  bay  "  and  dashed  straight  for  the  would-be  captor  who,  giving  up  the  lesser  prize 

for  the  greater,  turned  toward  Medill,  with  sword  upraised, 

shouting,  "surrender!"    Still   they    drew    near   together, 

and  then  the  rebel  saw  the  unionist's  revolver  with  its  six 

bullets  staring  him   in   the  face.     He  seemed  to  grasp  the 

situation  and  realize  the  shoitness  of  range  of   his   sword 

compared   with   that    of    the   revolver;   for    he    suddenly 

shouted  "Don't  shoot,  I  surrender  !" 

The  troopers  who  noticed  the  incident  said  :  "  That 

makes  the  Major  colonel  of  the  Eighth."    And  so  it  would, 

but  that  lie  was  marked  for  higher  promotion — martyrdom. 

In  bidding  his  last  good-bye  to  Chicago  he  said  :     "  You'll 

see  me  next  with  brigadier's  stars,    or   in    my  coffin."     It 

was  the  coffin. 

After  Lee's  defeat   at    Gettysburg,    the    Eighth  and 

Twelfth  were  hurried  forward  to  harass  his  retreat  to  the 

Potomac,    taking    over    2,000    prisoners    and    800   army 

wagons.       They  came  to  where  the  enemy  were  building  a 

bridge  at  Williamsport,  and  attacked  the  unknown   force 

without    hesitation.       Half   the    Eighth    was   dismounted, 

fighting  as  skirmishers.      Major  Medill  took  a  carbine  and 

fought  with  the  rest.     He  was  aiming  it  at  the  rebels  when 

a  ball  struck  him  in  the  lower  part  of   the   breast,  penetrat- 
ing bone  and  lung.     He  lived  for  ten  days,  during  which 

his  brother  Joseph  arrived  only  to  bid  him  good-bye.     The 

bad  news  was  brought  to  him  that  Lee  had  got  away.     "  I 

wish  I  had  not  heard  it !  "  he  cried.     "  I  am  going  to  die 

without  knowing   that  my  country   is   saved."      He  was 

greatly  consoled,  however,  by  the  news  of  the  capture  of  Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson.     "  Ah  !"  said 

he, ''blood  will  tell.     It  takes  the  Western  boys  to  handle   the  rebels."     He  asked  that  his  body 

might  be  embalmed,  dressed  in  full  uniform',  and 
buried  from  Chicago  in  Graceland  cemetery, 
because  it  was  controlled  by  the  patriot  Thomas 
B.  Bryan,  and  that  the  funeral  be  conducted  by 
the  patriot  Robert  Collyer — and  so  he  died,  f 
soldier,  a  gentleman,  a  lover  of  his  country. 

In  September,  1861,  Camp 
Douglas  was  established  to  serve  as 
a  rendezvous  for  Illinois  volunteers. 
It  was  an  irregular  block  belonging 
to  the  Douglas  estate,  bounded  by 
3ist  and  33d  streets,  and  Cottage  camp 
Grove  and  Forest  avenues.  It  was 
in  the  open  prairie  far  below  the 
southern  boundary  of  the  built-up 
district.  Colonel  Joseph  H.  Tucker 
was  its  constructor  and  first  com- 
mandant. Its  design  was  changed 
GEN.  JAMES  H.  STOKES.  after  the  taking  of  F"ort  Donelson 

(February,  1862),  when  some  8,000  or  9,000  prisoners  from  that  victory 
and  the  one  at  Island  No.    10  were  sent  up.      Much  suffering  ensued 


JAMKS   H.    STOKES, 

Captain  of  Battery. 


270 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Prisoners'  Atd 
and  Relief. 


among  the  prisoners,  and  a  public  meeting  was  held  at  Bryan  Hall, 
where  a  relief  committee  was  appointed  and  liberal  contributions 
received  from  public  subscriptions  and  collections  in  the  churches. 
The  philanthropic  and  patriotic  Thomas  B.  Bryan  was  treasurer  of  the 
fund.  After  this  there  was  never  any  scarcity  ot  good  and  sufficient 
food,  but  the  unfamiliar  climate  and  poor  sanitary  arrangements  caused 
pneumonia  and  camp  fever ;  and  the  deaths  averaged  six  a  day.  The 
dead  were  buried  at  the  old  cemetery  on  the  lake  shore,  about  six  miles 
south  of  the  camp.  In  1864  small-pox  and  other  diseases  attacked  the 
prisoners  and  1156  died,  out  of  the  12,000  confined — a  record  that  shows 
how  Camp  Douglas  compared  with  Andersonville — as  Paradise  might 

compare  with  sheol.  The  expenses 
of  the  camp,  not  including  pay  of 
the  garrison,  was  $8,540  a  day. 

"The  Camp  Douglas  Conspir- 
acy "  as  recorded  by  William  Bross 
and  the  official  report  of  General 
B.  J.  Sweet,  then  commandant  of 
the  camp,  was  a  serious  and  danger- 
ous plot  set  on  foot,  in  1864,  by 
Jacob  Thompson  (a  member  of 
Buchanan's  cabinet),  to  liberate  the 
prisoners  of  war  and  form  a  union 
between  them  and  Southern  sym- 
pathizers in  the  North,  to  aid  the 
secession  cause  by  a  Northern  in- 
surrection. The  developments 
were  sufficiently  grave  to  induce  a 
strong  re-inforcement  of  the  camp  guard  with  infantry  and  artillery.  No 
overt  act  was  attempted,  though  a  large  deposit  of  arms  and  ammunition 
was  found.  Some  Chicago  men,  and  more  Southerners,  were  arrested 
and  tried.  Five  were  found  guilty  and  served  terms  of  imprisonment. 
CcT,spira?y!s  One,  the  venerable  Buckner  S.  Morris,  was  acquitted  of  guilty  knowl- 
edge of  the  contemplated  crimes,  both  by  the  court  and  by  deliberate 
public  opinion.  The  war  closed  and  most  of  the  punishments  were 
remitted. 

Time  and  space  would  fail  to  give  even  a  sketch  of  the  patriotic 
self-devotion  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago  to  the  cause  of  the  Union  and 
of  humanity.  Scarcely  did  the  need  arise  for  help  to  soldiers  on  their 
way  to  or  from  the  front,  before  the  means  were  provided  to  meet  that 
need.  There  was  a  great  meeting  for  the  purpose  as  early  as  April  18, 
1 86 1.  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  took  the  lead  in  organ- 


THOMAS    B.    BRYAN. 


TO   ARMS,     YE  JiRAVE ! 


271 


anitary 
Commission. 


ized  effort,  and  with  it  was  afterward  combined  the  Chicago  branch  of 
the  Sanitary  Commission,  whereof  the  great  and  good  Henry  W.  Bel-s 
lows,  of  New  York,  was  the  head.  Thomas  B.  Bryan — as  usual — was  the 
most  liberal  among  the  liberal,  the  most  devoted  among  the  devoted, 
the  chief  among  the  leaders  in  every  movement  of  philanthropic 
patriotism. 

With  him  in  the  work  were  Mrs.  George  Gibbs,  Mrs.  O.  E. 
Hosmer,  Mrs.  Joseph  Medill,  Mrs.  D.  P.  Livermore,  Mrs.  A.  H.  Hoge, 
Mrs.  Smith  Tinkham,  and  a  host  of  less  well-known  women.  As  the 
demand  grew,  the  supply  came  forward  to  match  it ;  the  hosts  of 
wounded  from  Chickamauga  and 
Mission  Ridge  were  no  less  well 
cared  for  than  the  few  early  maimed 
and  helpless  whose  arrival  first 
brought  home  to  swelling  hearts 
and  tearful  eyes  the  dread  reality 
of  war.  In  July,  1863,  the  first 
great  Sanitary  Commission  Fair 
was  held,  and  netted  $86,000.  The 
second  was  held  in  Dearborn  Park 
in  March,  1864,  and  yielded  $240,- 
813  !  The  published  report  of  the 
Sanitary  Commission  contains  the 
following  summary  of  its  work : 
"  In  the  four  years  of  its  existence 
the  Northwestern  Commission  dis- 
bursed 77,666  packages  from  its 

storehouse  and  $405,792.66  from  its  treasury."  And  even  these  large 
figures  are  but  a  part  of  the  universal  outpouring  of  love  and  gratitude 
to  those  who  went  forth  to  fight  from  those  who  stayed  at  home.  Then 
at  least  the  men  in  the  rear  felt  as  if  they  could  not  do  enough  to  put 
themselves  on  an  equality  with  the  men  at  the  front. 

It  was  then  as  happy  a  task  to  give  time  and  money  for  public 
good  as  it  is  in  these  changed  and  later  days  to   use  them  for  private   olddavs- 
and  personal  ends. 

*  Another  son  of  William  F.  De  Wolf.     He  served  in  the   «34th  Regiment  until  the  end  of  the  war;  and  is  now 
1(1891)  treasurer  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail  Road. 


HENRY    DF.    WOLF. 


.ratl- 
those 


CHAPTER    XXV. 


Loss  of  the 
Lady  Elgin. 


THF     SIXTIES     AT     HOME. 


AR  did  not  invent  death,  nor  can  even  blessed 
peace  prevent  it.  On  Friday,  November  7, 
1860,  the  "  Lady  Elgin"  (Captain  John  Wil- 
son), one  of  the  largest  and  finest  of  lake 
steamers,  left  her  dock  at  Chicago  for  a  voyage 
to  Milwaukee,  it  being  the  return  trip  of  an 
excursion  which  she  had  brought  from  Milwau- 
kee the  day  before.  There  were  393  persons 
on  board.  In  the  night  the  steamer  was  run 
into  by  the  schooner  "  Augusta,"  lumber-laden, 
bound  south.  The  following  is  condensed 
from  the  excellent  account,  given  in  much 
detail,  by  Captain  Andreas  (2  Hist.  Chic.  75)  : 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  vessel  was  off  Waukegan,  about  ten  miles  from  shore, 
and  the  passengers  were  at  the  height  of  their  merriment.  .  .  .  After  the  crash  of  the  collision, 
the  music  and  dancing  ceased  of  course  ;  but,  though  the  lamps  were  extinguished  by  the  shock,  no 
cry  nor  shriek  was  heard.  The  women  stood  in  the  cabins  —  pale,  motionless,  and  silent.  No 
sound  was  heard  except  the  escaping  steam  and  the  surging  of  the  waves.  As  the  vessel  settled, 
the  passengers  mounted  to  the  hurricane  deck.  .  .  .  Within  half  an  hour  after  the  collision, 
the  engine  fell  through  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  and  the  hull  went  down  immediately  after,  leav- 
ing the  hurricane  deck  with  its  vast,  living  freight,  floating  like  a  raft.  .  .  .  And  now,  drifting 
before  the  wind,  and  tossed  by  the  waves,  the  deck  began  to  break  up,  and  finally  separated  into 
five  pieces,  to  each  of  which,  half-submerged,  many  of  the  passengers  desperately  clung  ;  but  many, 
as  their  strength  gave  out  sank  amid  the  tossing  waves.  One  portion  of  the  deck,  on  which  the 
captain  was,  held  twenty-live  persons.  He  was  the  only  one  who  stirred  from  the  recumbent  position 
necessary  to  keep  a  secure  hold  on  the  precarious  support.  .  .  .  Day  broke  upon  them,  and  found 
them  drifting  southward,  nearly  off  Winnetka.  .  .  .  Relief  parties  hurried  to  the  scene  from 
Evanston,  Winnetka,  and  along  the  shore.  .  .  .  The  saving  of  John  Eviston  and  wife  created 
great  excitement.  The  gallant  fellow  was  seen  some  distance  out,  on  the  wheel-house,  on  which  he 
firmly  held  his  wife.  As  they  neared  the  shore,  the  surf  capsized  the  raft,  and  for  several  seconds 
both  were  submerged.  When  they  rose  again  to  view,  the  wife  was  at  some  distance  from  the  wheel- 
house,  to  which  Mr.  Eviston  was  still  holding.  Seeing  his  wife,  he  swam  out  to  her,  and  succeeded 
in  regaining  the  wheel-house  with  her.  .  .  .  At  last  the  wheel-house  grounded.  Taking  his  wife 
in  his  arms,  he  attempted  to  wade  to  the  land,  but  sank  exhausted.  At  this  moment  he  was  caught 
by  the  brave  Edward  W.  Spencer,  and  they  were  brought  safely  to  shore. 

It  was  past  noon  on  Saturday  before  the  last  rescued  passenger 
was  brought  ashore.  From  the  raft  on  which  the  captain  was,  not 
more  than  seven  or  eight  persons  were  saved ;  the  brave  captain  not 
among  them.  As  the  raft  neared  the  shore,  it,  too,  capsized,  and  but 
a  few  of  the  chilled  and  exhausted  waifs  who  had  clung  to  it  up  to 
that  moment,  regained  their  hold.  Captain  Wilson  managed  to  drag 

272 


THE  SIXTIES  AT  HOME.  273 

back  to  it  one  of  the  women  washed  off  ;  but  a  great  sea  swept  them 
off  again,  and  both  drowned,  only  a  few  rods  from  shore. 

The  lost  numbered  two  hundred  and  ninety-seven,  the  great- 
est single  fatality  Chicago  or  Milwaukee  ever  suffered,  and  a  larger 
death-roll  than  befell  the  soldiers  of  both  cities  in  any  one  battle. 

Years  after  the  disaster  there  drifted  ashore,  in  front  of  General 
Simpson's  place  at  Winnetka,  a  great  piece  of  wreckage,  part  of  the 
keel,  planking,  and  ribs  of  a  side -wheel  steamer,  easily  recogniz- 
able as  a  relic  of  the  "  Lady  Elgin."  The  pitiful  skeleton  lies  there 
yet  (1891),  and  a  picture  of  it  in  its  present  desolation  is  here- 
with presented. 


The  bones  of 
the  ship  now 
visible. 


WRECKAGE   OF   THE   "LADY   ELGIN." 

The  next  serious  calamity  was  the  foundering,  in  Lake  Superior, 
of  the  Chicago  steamer  "  Sunbeam,"  in  August,  1863,  when,  of  a  human 
freight  of  twenty-six,  only  one  was  saved. 

Another  terrible  disaster  was  the  burning  of  the  Goodrich  steamer, 
"  Sea- Bird,"  off  Lake  Forest,  in  April,  1868,  when  sixty-seven  of  the 
passengers  and  crew  were  drowned. 

It  has  of  late  years  been  thought  that  for  lake  navigation,  where 
short,  high  waves  are  to  be  expected,  the  paddle-wheel  steamer,  with 
its  wide,  weak  "  overhang,"  is  not  as  well  adapted  as  is  the  propeller, 
with  its  smooth  sides  which  give  the  waves  no  "  hold." 

There  was  no    pause   in   the   growth   of    Chicago  before,   during 


Other  Wrecks. 


274 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Population 
not  checked 
by  War. 


Lake  Tunnel 
Crib. 


or  after  the  war.  If  asked  to  tell,  from  the  census,  when  the  "drain 
of  men  for  soldiers  "  occurred,  one  would  be  completely  at  a  loss.  The 
population  stood  as  follows:  1860,  112,172;  1861,  120,000;  1862,  138,- 
835;  1^63,  160,000;  1864,  169,353;  l865-  178,900;  1866,  200,418; 
1867,  220,000;  1868,  252,054;  1869,  273,043;  1870,  298,977.  All 
the  works  of  peace  went  on  in  ever  accelerating  ratio.  The  Board  of 
Public  Works  was  created  in  1861  (Benjamin  Carpenter,  J.  G.  Gindele, 
and  F.  Letz  ;  later,  J.  G.  Gindele,  F.  Letz  and  O.  J.  Rose,  together 
with  the  mayor,  F.  C.  Sherman) ;  and  its  great  work  was  the  construc- 


THE  CITY  WATER-WORKS,  1891. 

tion  of  an  inlet  crib  in  the  lake,  two  miles  from  shore,  and  a  tunnel 
to  connect  it  with  the  water-works  at  the  foot  of  Chicago  avenue. 
The  shaft  was  sunk  to  the  required  depth  (seventy  feet),  and  the 
drift  begun  May  26,  1864,  after  which  it  burrowed  out  in  the  hard, 
blue  clay  at  the  rate  of  some  ten  feet  a  day.  Ellis  S.  Chesbrough  was 
city  engineer,  one  of  the  most  trustworthy  servants  Chicago  has  ever 
had.  William  H.  Clarke  was  the  engineer  in  charge,  a  most  efficient 
officer,  who  had  under  him  a  most  efficient  corps  of  helpers.  The 
lake  crib  was  five-sided,  each  side  of  the  outer  shell  58  feet  long,  and 
each  side  of  the  inner  shell  22  feet  long,  which  left  a  space  25  feet 


THE  SIXTIES  AT  HOME. 


It  was  40  feet  high.     The  huge 


E.   S.  CHESBROfGH. 


wide  between  inner  and  outer  shells. 

structure  was    built   on   the  south 

side  of   the    north    pier,    and    was 

launched  on  slanting  ways,  like  a 

great  five-sided  ship,  July  25,  1865, 

gliding    gracefully    into   the    river 

without  delay  or  accident.     It  was 

towed  at  once  to  its  destined  place 

over  the  proposed  eastern  end  of 

the  tunnel,    and   the   work    begun 

of   filling    with    stone    the    space 

between  the  two  shells.  A  three- 
days'  storm  came  on  before  the 

filling  had  gone  far,  and  moved  the 

structure  thirteen  feet  (against  the 

wind),  and  threw  it  out  of  the  per- 
pendicular. These  imperfections 

are  still  perceptible  ;    but  from  the 

time  the  filling  was  complete  no  change  or  deflection  in  its  position 

has  occurred  up  to  this  day  (1891), 
a  period  of  twenty-seven  years. 
Mr.  Cregier's  report  says  : 

A  tremor  is  frequently  felt  during  severe 
storms,  and  when  large  fields  of  ice  are  passing. 
The  rubbing  of  field  ice  against  the  crib  is 
occasionally  accompanied  by  a  fearful  noise.  iakcDjfficul- 
At  such  times  the  crib  appears,  to  a  spectator  on 
it,  to  be  an  immense  plough  moving  through  the 
ice.  On  several  occasions  the  broken  masses 
lodged  on  the  south  side  of  the  crib,  forming 
banks  several  hundred  feet  long,  and  reaching 
from  the  bottom  of  the  lake  to  ten  or  fifteen  feet 
above  the  surface.  .  .  .  The  work  of  tunnel- 
ling was  carried  on  from  this  end  about  as 

rapidly  as  it  was  from  the  land  shaft 

When  the  work  from  the  land  shaft  was  within 
one  hundred  feet,  it  was  thought  necessary  to 
stop  the  masonry  there,  and  run  a  small  timber 
drift  through  to  be  certain  as  to  how  the  lines 
were  going  to  meet.  The  two  faces  were  brought 
together  November  30,  1866,  when  it  was  found 
that  the  masonry  at  the  east  face  was  only  about 
seven  and  one-half  inches  out  of  the  line  from 
the  west  end.  This  result,  considering  the  diffi- 
culty of  getting  a  clear  atmosphere  in  the  tunnel, 
was  considered  very  good,  and  much  better  than 
was  generally  expected.  .  .  .  Water  was  first 
let  into  it  on  March  8,  1867.  ...  On  the  24th, 
about  4  r.  M.,  the  mouth  of  the  old  inlet  was  cut 


ties  overcome 


WILLIAM   H.   CLARKE. 


off  from  the  lake. 


The  actual  cost,  up  to  April  I,  1857,  was  $457,844.95. 


The  usual 


276 


THE  STORY    OF  CHICAGO. 


Beginning  of 
Lincoln  Park 


Sectional 
Jealousies. 


prices  paid  during  the  work  were  :    Common  labor,  $2  ;  masons,   $5,  and  engine-men,  $3  per  day  ; 
for  brick,  $14  per  thousand,  and  cement,  $2.75  per  cask  of  300  pounds. 

Once  more  the  struggling  citizens  had  leaped  forward  out  of  the 
way  of  the  advancing  city ;  but  this  was  only  for  a  time,  as  we  shall 
see  hereafter. 

The  splendid  park  system  of  Chicago,  constituting  (with  its  con- 
necting boulevards),  one  of  the  most  extended  in  the  world,  took  its  rise 
in  the  construction  of  Lincoln  Park,  and  this  in  its  turn  was  the  off- 
spring of  the  cemetery  established  in  1835,  north  of  and  adjoining  what 
is  now  North  Avenue.  In  all,  this  burial-place  included  sixty  acres  of 
what  was  once  sand-hill  and  pine  forest  but  became,  by  the  care  of  lot- 
owners,  a  fine  and  well-ordered  graveyard.  The  city  also  owned  sixty 
acres  north  of  and  adjoining  the  burial-place.  In  1860  the  council  passed 
an  ordinance  forbidding  the  sale  of  lots  and  the  interment  of  dead  in 

the  last-named  tract,  and  in  1864 
another  ordinance  setting  apart  the 
same  for  a  public  park,  "  to  be 
named  Lake  Park. "  The  latter 
ordinance  also  forbade  the  sale  of 
more  lots  in  the  first  plot,  and  the 
interment  of  bodies  on  the  part  not 
sold— the  "  potter's  field.  "  * 

Mr.  Lawrence  Proudfoot  was 
elected,  in  1865,  alderman  of  the 
ward  inclosing  the  120  acres,  and 
to  him  belongs  more  credit  than 
to  any  other  one  man  for  the  initial 
steps  that  led  to  the  dedication  of 
the  Park  which  is  now  the  pride  of 
the  city  ;  the  resort  of  uncounted 
thousands  who  love  the  lake  shore 
and  the  lake  breezes ;  and  the  show-place  for  strangers  whom  it  is  desir- 
able to  impress  with  the  beauty  of  Chicago's  eastern  water  horizon. 
It  is  the  one  place  where  innumerable  inland  dwellers  can  stand  among 
trees  and  look  out  to  where  sky  and  water  meet. 

The  South  and  West  Sides  were  jealous  of  so  large  a  gift  to  the 
North  Side,  and  it  was  only  the  fact  that  they  were  more  jealous  of  each 
other  than  of  the  smaller  North,  and  that  the  latter  held  the  balance  of 
power  between  them,  which  made  success  possible.  One  thingwas  evident; 

*  Numberless  bodies,  unclaimed  and  therefore  unremoved,  still  repose  where  they  were  laid,  quite  undisturbed  by 
the  footsteps  of  thousands  of  pleasure-seekers  passing  over  them.  One  noticeable  instance  of  this  is  the  case  of  David 
Kennison  who  was  buried  there  in  1852.  He  was  114  years  old  and  was  the  last  survivor  of  the  *'  Boston  Teaparty  "  of 
1774.  More  than  this;  he  was  a  soldier  in  old  Fort  Dearborn,  and  his  name  appears  on  the  muster-roll  of  the  Fort  in  1810. 

He  was  a  pensioner  and  eked  out  his  living  by  service  in museum.    George  Fergus,  of  the  Fergus  Printing  Co., 

is  able  to  point  out  the  spot  where  the  old  man  lies,  and  would  be  glad  to  do  so  to  any  one  who  will  provide  a  stone  to 
mark  his  grave. 


LAWRENCE   PROUDFOOT. 


THE  SIXTIES  AT  HOME. 


277 


the  city  having  grown  out  around  the  cemetery,  the  latter  must  be 
removed.  This  was  first  accomplished  through  the  efforts  of  a  committee 
whereof  Mr.  Proudfoot  was  chairman;  and  the  further  disposition  of  the 
land  was  next  taken  up.  In  season  and  out  of  season  he  urged  the 
importance  of  parks  to  a  city's  well-being,  and  the  folly  of  falling  into 
the  usual  error  of  waiting  before  establishing  them  until  land  grew  too  Rt™e°c^ietery. 
dear  to  be  bought.  The  city  was  short  of  money,  and  a  resolution  was 
offered  directing  that  the  vacated  ground  be  subdivided  and  sold  for  the 
benefit  of  the  city.  Proudfoot  proposed  as  a  substitute  a  resolution  that 
the  property  be  dedicated  as  a  public  park.  The  latter  policy  prevailed. 
In  the  meantime  William  C.  Goudy  was  pressing  upon  the  State 
legislature  a  bill  creating  a  "  North  Park  Commission,"  to  effect  the 
procuring  of  not  more  than  a  square  mile  of  land  for  park  purposes,  and 


THE  LINCOLN  STATUE. 

the  joining  the  same  with  the  cemetery  tracts  already  described.  The 
bill  passed  February  16,  1865,  and  Lincoln  Park  was  safe.  From  such 
small  beginnings  and  by  such  great  efforts  and  narrow  margins  was  the 
great  Chicago  Park  System  instituted. 

In  1865  "Goose  Island,"  a  small  triangle  of  dry  land  at  the  north 
side  of  the  junction  of  the  North  and  South  branches,  was  dredged  away 
and  the  fine  large  basin  opened  there  which  is  so  important  an  adjunct  of 
the  river-harbor.  A  sand-bar  had  begun  to  form  at  the  outer  end  of 
the  North  Pier,  so  an  extension  of  it  was  necessary.  Congress  made 
the  required  appropriation,  there  was  no  Polk  to  veto  it,  and  the  work 
was  begun;  to  be  finished  in  1866. 

One  of  the  greatest  "  institutions"  of  Chicago — the  greatest  in 
profits  earned — dates  from  1864;  it  is  the  "Union  Stock  Yards."  At  that 
time  the  unparalleled  growth  of  the  trade  in  live-stock  and  its  products 


Enlargement 
of  the  River 
Forks. 


TI-fR  STORY  OF   CHICAGO. 


> 
X 

c 


THE  SIXTIES  AT  HOME.  379 

had  made  it  evident  that  some  plan  must  be  evolved  for  bringing 
together  buyers,  sellers,  manufacturers  and  carriers.  To  quote  Elias 
Colbert  ("Chicago,"  p.  60): 

Very  frequently  it  was  the  case  that  the  market  for  cattle  or  hogs  was  quite  active  at  one  yard, 
while  at  the  others  it  was  fearfully  dull.     Sometimes  the  receipts  at  one  yard  would  almost  equal  the 
combined  receipts  of  all  the  others. .  .  The  commercial  reporters  from  the  various  papers  had  great 
difficulty  in  making  up  an  accurate  summary  of  the  daily  market,  from  the  conflicting  reports  of  the 
buyers  and  sellers  at  the  various  yards.  The  packers,  particularly,  found  the  system  disadvantageous. 
Finally    the    railroad  managers  saw  the  inutility  of  the  old  system.     The  expense  of  switching  and 
the  wear  and  tear  of  rolling  stock  over  the  narrow  and  tortuous  curves  were  eating  a  large  hole  in  '"'h^Unjon 
their  profits.     The  trade  had  reached  a  magnitude  never  anticipated,  and  the  then  Eastern  railroads     Stock  Yards, 
found  that  they  had  as  much  to  do  in  transporting  stock  as  could  be  attended  to. 

The  issuing  of  the  prospectus  was  followed  by  an  almost  immediate  subscription  of  the  stock  of 

$1,000,000,  of  which  $925,000  was  subscribed  by  nine  railroad  companies Opened  for  business 

December  25,  1865;  area  of  ground,  345  acres;  in  pens,  100;  acres  for  hotel  and  other  buildings,  45; 
present  capacity,  21,000  head  of  cattle,  75,000  hogs,  22,000  sheep,  200  horses;  total  118,200.  There 
are  in  the  yards  31  miles  of  drainage,  7  miles- of  streets  and  alleys,  3  miles  of  water-troughs,  10 
miles  of  feed-troughs,  2,300  gates,  1,500  open  pens  and  800  covered  pens.  22,000,000  feet  of  lumber 
were  used  in  construction,  at  a  total  cost  of  $1,675,000.  The  water  is  supplied  by  an  artesian  well  about 
1,100  feet  deep. 

Professor  Colbert's  statement  of  dimensions,  capacities,  etc.,  should 
be  doubled — many  of  them  more  than  once — to  fit  the  stock  yards  of 
1891.  It  has  been  generally  supposed  that  the  grain  trade  was  the 
leading  business  in  Chicago,  but  this  is  a  mistake:  Grain  is  enormous, 
lumber  is  far  larger  than  grain,  and  the  stock  yards  larger  than  grain 
and  lumber  together.  Again:  Manufactures  far  overshadow  everything 
else. 

In  1865  the  clearing  house  was  established.  James  D.  Sturges  (later 
National  Bank  Examiner)  was  its  prime  mover.  It  is  a  daily  "bankers' 
fair,"  where  the  claims  of  each  bank  against  every  other  are  adjusted  and 
the  balances  or  "differences"  only  are  required  to  be  settled  in  money. 
Before  the  invention  of  this  labor-saving  contrivance  (in  London,  about 
the  beginning  of  this  century)  each  bank  had  to  send  its  claims  on  every 
other  bank  to  such  other  bank  and  get  the  money  for  them.  The  First, 
having  taken  from  its  depositors  and  correspondents  a  thousand  checks 
and  drafts  on  the  Second,  the  Third,  the  Fourth  and  so  on,  had  to  sort 
out  these  checks  and  drafts  and  hurry  them  around  to  the  banks  they 
were  respectively  drawn  on;  while  each  of  the  other  banks  was  doing  the 
same.  The  day  was  hardly  long  enough  for  the  messengers  racing  about  or  the  clearing 

"  House. 

and  passing  each  other  on  the  streets.  Under  the  clearing  house  system, 
all  their  mutual  claims  are  sent  to  a  convenient  upper  chamber  where  they 
are,  by  a  simple  arrangement  of  desks  in  a  line,  matched  against  each  other. 
The  messenger  goes  there  with  his  checks  and  drafts  done  up  in  neat 
little  bundles,  one  for  each  of  the  other  banks,  and  he  comes  back  with 
another  lot  of  neat  little  bundles,  being  the  checks  and  drafts  on  his 
bank  sent  in  by  the  others  ;  also  a  memorandum  of  the  cash  balance 
which  his  bank  has  to  pay  (or  to  receive,  as  the  case  may  be)  to  "clear." 


2SO 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  River 
again  foul. 


Within  an  hour  the  debit  balances  are  all  paid  in  cash  to  the  clearing 
house  manager  and  he  pays  to  each  bank  which  chances  to  be  "at 
credit"  the  amount  of  its  claim.  Quietly,  leisurely,  orderly,  between  n 
A.  M.  and  i  P.  M.  six  days  in  the  week,  the  whole  business  is  done,  the 
liquidation  (1891)  of  $15,000,000  to  $18,000,000  of  indebtedness. 

Again  Nemesis,  in  the  shape  of  intolerable  foulness  of  the  river, 
vvas  fast  overtaking  the  hard-worked  city;  and  again  was  a  desperate 
effort  called  for  to  remedy  the  evil.  This  time  the  plan  was  to  change 


LA  SALLE  STREET  TUNNEL. 


the  "shallow  cut"  canal  into  the  deep  channel  originally  planned.  The 
upper  level  is  twenty-six  miles  long,  and,  though  part  of  it  had  already 
been  cut  deep,  yet  by  far  the  larger  part  must  now  be  deepened  at 
enormous  expense ;  the  desideratum  being  a  continuous  movement  of 
The  Remedy,  water  at  the  rate  of  24,000  cubic  feet  per  minute.  (The  minimum  in 
the  drainage  scheme  of  1891  is  600,000  cubic  feet  per  minute.)  The 
work  was  pushed  vigorously — only  in  winter  however,  the  use  of  the 
canal  being  uninterrupted — and  finally  completed  at  a  cost  of  $2,982,437. 
It  was  on  Saturday,  July  18,  1871,  that  the  final  blow  was  struck; 


THE  SIXTIES  AT  HOME.  281 

a  temporary  dam  across  the  canal  at  Bridgeport  was  cut  away,  and, 
as  Mr.  Cregier  says :  "  Quite  a  strong  current  was  at  once  created  in 
the  canal,  and  an  entire  change  in  the  water  in  the  main  river  and  the 
South  Branch  was  effected  in  about  thirty-six  hours.  Tlrun*e0u. 

Other  noteworthy  permanent  public  improvements  were  going  on 
at  the  same  time.  The  tunnel  at  Washington  Street  was  begun  in 
1866,  and  finished  in  1869,  at  a  cost  of  $517,000.  The  tunnel  at  La 
Salle  Street  was  built  in  1871,  and,  having  the  advantage  of  previous 
experience,  only  cost  $566,276,  though  possessing  an  intrinsic  value 
certainly  fifty  per  cent,  greater  than  its  forerunner. 

Exactly  how  did  Chicago  and  the  West  emerge  from  gloom  of 
many  kinds  to  brightness  of  many  kinds  ?  Strangely  enough,  it  was 
through  the  dark  iron  gate  of  war.  Thousands  died  that  millions 
might  live.  Incalculable  waste  occurred  that  infinite  prosperity  might 
follow.  The  flowers  of  happiness  took  root  in  a  soil  enriched  by 
countless  nameless  and  forgotten  graves. 

The  central  government  took  hold  of  the  affairs,  not  only  of  the 
nation,  but  of  the  people  ;  and  each  loyal  State  (though  not  every  citizen) 
upheld  the  Federal  Union  in  its  strong-handed  grasp  of  the  situation, 
leaving  to  some  future  day  the  re-establishment  of  the  old  "  compro- 
mises of  the  constitution."  As  war  measures,  legal-tender  currency 
was  issued.  National  banks  were  organized,  income  and  stamp- FederalAffairs- 
taxes  were  levied  and  collected,  the  draft  was  enacted  and  enforced 
by  the  Federal  arm.  Martial  law  was  declared,  and  the  writ  of  habeas 
corpus  suspended.  No  wonder  that  most  Europeans  thought  our 
boasted  republican  liberty  to  be  gone  forever.*  Nor  is  it  any  won- 
der that  when  the  war  was  fought  and  won,  and  the  volunteers  hur- 
ried back  to  their  farms,  their  factories,  their  shops  and  their  homes 
as  eagerly  as  prisoners  freed  from  a  dungeon,  then  the  cause  of  free 
government  grew  suddenly  stronger  the  world  over. 

The  withdrawal  of  workers  from  all  fields  of  labor  was  slow  to 
make  itself  felt.  The  first  change  in  daily  life  that  affected  every 
body  was  the  issue  of  the  "  greenback  currency,"  the  promissory 
notes  of  the  Federal  government,  made  legal  tender  in  all  amounts 
for  all  purposes  except  duties  on  imports.  These  bills  were  a  posi-  Greenbacks. 
tive  and  welcome  relief  from  the  horrors  of  "stumptail,"  and  the 
"  fractional  currency,"  little  halves,  quarters,  dimes,  and  half-dimes, 

•William  H.  Russell,  war  correspondent  of  the  London  Times,  said  to  a  young  volunteer  officer:  "It  is  all 
very  well  to  get  a  million  men  together  and  arm  them  ;  but  how  will  you  ever  get  rid  of  them  ?  All  history  shows 
teat  a  great  army,  when  once  it  feels  its  power,  is  slow  to  give  it  up  again.  Suppose  you  whip  the  rebels  — as  I 
think  you  will  —  then  what?"  "Pay  off  the  volunteers  and  let  them  go  home."  "But  suppose  they  won't  go."  "O 
just  give  them  the  chance !  They'll  go  so  quick  it  will  make  your  head  swim."  "  Suppose  your  own  General 
[McClellan]  were  to  call  on  his  army  to  follow  him  to  Washington  and  seize  the  government."  "  He'd  never  think 
of  such  a  thing.  He'd  die  sooner.  And  if  he  were  to  try  it,  his  whole  army  would  leave  him  — I  among  the  first." 
*'  Aha  !  That  sounds  well ;  but  you'll  see.  You'll  see." 


282 


THE   STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


i.  Maj.  Gen.  John  M.  Scho- 
lield,  U.  S.  A. 

5.  Brig.  Gen.  Francis  T. 
Sherman,  U.  S.  A. 

9.  Col.  Henry  M.  Kidder, 
U.  S.  V. 

13.  Capt.  Richard  Robins, 
U.  S.  A. 

17.  Col.  Stephen  V.  Ship- 
roan,  U.  S.  V. 


•:.  Mai.  Gen.  George  Crook 

U.S.A. 
fi.  Capt.  James  A.  Sexton, 

U.  S.  V. 
10.  Maj.  William  L.  B.  Jen- 

ney,  U.  S.  V. 
14.  Capt.  Ephraim  Otis, 

U.  S.  V. 
18.  Capt  Edward  A.  Blud- 

gett,  U.  S.  V 


-..  Gen.  Philip  H.  Sheridan, 
U.  S.  A. 

?.  Lieut.    Richard    Water- 
man. U.S.V. 

11.  Col.  ArbaN.  Waterman, 
U.  S.  V. 

is.  Capt.  Eli  Hugeins, 
U.  S.  A. 

19.  Paymaster    Horatio  L. 
Wait,  U.  S.  N. 


4.  Bvt.  Maj.  Gen.  Rufus  Ir.- 
galls,  U.  S.  A. 

6.  Lieut.  Col.  Robert  W. 
dowry,  U.  S.  V. 

12.  Surgeon  Edmund  An- 
drews, U.  S.  V. 

16.  Brig.  Gen  Joseph  B. 
Leake,  U.  S.  V. 

20.  Capt.  George  K.  Dau- 
chy,  U.  S.  V. 


THE  SIXTIES  AT  HOME.  283 

were  eagerly  welcomed  to  take  the  place  of  the  postage  stamps,  car- 
tickets,  bar-tickets,  and  other  scraps  and  valueless  tokens  of  small 
values.  These  had  an  intrinsic  worth,  in  that  they  pledged  the  faith 
of  the  nation  to  their  holder;  and  they  had  a  patriotic  value  —  a  sen- 
timental beauty  —  well  borne  out  by  their  handsome,  tasteful,  and 
dignified  appearance.  Many  can' not,  to  this  day,  see  a  new  "green- 
back "  without  a  thrill  of  recollection  of  their  first  welcome. 

For  years  the  sweet  jingle  of  coin  was,  to  the  many,  an  unknown  "JSed1  but 
sound.  Dollars  and  fractions  of  dollars  rustled  instead  of  rattling, 
and  their  dwelling-place  was  the  wallet,  not  the  purse.  The  nickel 
half-dimes  were  the  first  glimpse  of  a  return  to  old-time  moneys,  and 
many  a  dollar's  worth  of  them  was  hoarded  by  simple  folk  as  being 
safer  than  paper,  green  or  white. 

To  feel  the  pulse  of  an  industrial  community  one  must  put  his 
finger  on  the  banks.  Chicago's  was  a  fluttering  pulse  in  the  early 
sixties.  As  Captain  Andreas  says  : 

The  Illinois  cuirency  in  circulation  had  no  uniform  value;  it  had  been  transformed  into 
a  mass  of  bank  debentures,  the  value  of  which  could  only  be  estimated  by  the  value  of  the  bonds 
deposited  for  their  redemption.  .  .  .  The  Chicago  bankers  issued  daily  bulletins  giving  the 
names  of  those  banks  whose  bills  were  entirely  discredited,  such  as  would  be  received  at  a  dis- 
count, and  such  as  would  be  received  at  par.  Railroads,  lumbermen,  merchants,  and  the  Board 
of  Trade  each  issued  a  list  of  the  current  value  of  bank  bills,  no  two  of  which  were  alike,  and  none 
of  which  remained  unchanged  long  enough  to  be  of  any  value.  .  .  .  The  Marine  Bank  [not 
George  Smith's  "  Wisconsin  Fire  &  Marine"]  was  the  depository  of  the  city  funds,  and  its  officers 
declined  to  liquidate  their  indebtedness  to  the  city  in  specie.  On  July  5,  1861,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  a  proposition  was  submitted  by  the  president  of  the  Marine  Bank  [Scammon], 
that  the  city  accept  sixty-five  cents  on  the  dollar  ...  of  the  school  fund.  In  respect  to  other 
city  funds  the  proposition  was  not  so  favorable. 

In  November,  1862,  there  were  but  twenty-two  solvent  banks 
reported  in  all  Illinois,  while  ninety-three  were  reported  as  suspended, 
or  in  process  of  closing  business.  Andreas  gives  a  list  of  the  rates  at 
which  the  bills  of  the  failed  banks  were  finally  redeemed,  five  being 
paid  off  in  full,  namely,  Bank  of  Northern  Illinois  at  Waukegan,  BankT1d*er;J^dnks 
of  Peru  at  Peru,  Chicago  Bank  at  Chicago,  E.  I.  Tinkham  &  Co.'s 
Bank  at  McLeansboro,  and  Kane  County  Bank  at  Geneva.  The 
remainder  ran  from  49  to  95  per  cent.,  with  quotations  at  almost 
every  point  between  those  two  extremes. 

The  Merchants'  Loan  &  Trust  Company  (originally  called  the 
"  Merchants'  Savings,  Loan  &  Trust  Company)"  is  the  only  bank  or 
banking  house  which,  dating  from  before  the  war,  exists  to  this  clay 
(1891),  in  continuous  strength  and  solvency  under  its  original  desig- 
nation. And  even  this  institution,  having  a  "  currency- mill "  (the 
"Reaper  Bank")  on  its  hands,  was  forced,  on  October  it,  1864,  to 
a  short  suspension  of  active  operations,  though  sound  at  bottom,  as 
it  has  always  been,  before  and  since. 


284 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Unfailing  value 
of  City 
Securities. 


The  State  Savings  Institution  (1861),  which  later  (1877)  became 
a  disastrous  wreck,  and  a  reproach  to  Chicago's  fair  fame,  was,  through 
the  troublous  times  of  war  and  business  disaster,  a  tower  of  strength. 
George  Schneider  was  its  manager,  and  under  him  it  paid  all  demands 
in  gold  or  its  equivalent.  His  expedient  was  simple,  as  his  foresight 
was  unimpeachable.  He  argued  that,  though  States  might  fail,  munici- 
pal securities  must  be  valid ;  and  as  fast  as  the  so-called  "  current 
funds"  poured  into  the  savings  depository  he  invested  them  in 
Chicago  Sewerage  and  Water-works  bonds.  These  remained  sound 
and  solvent,  and  so  did  the  State  Savings  Institution,  until  its  evil 
days  came  on,  years  after  he  was  out  of  it.  (Even  after  its  disastrous 
failure,  its  assets,  by  careful  management,  and  the  rise  of  the  real  estate 

which  had  been  thrown  on  its 
hands,  became  large  enough  to 
have  met  its  liabilities  in  full.) 

How  did  the  luckless  debtors 
and  the  almost  equally  unhappy 
creditors  get  on  in  the  troublous 
times  of  the  early  sixties  ? 

The  chief  manifestation  was 
the  utter  collapse  of  the  "  stump- 
tail  "  currency.  It  had  long  been 
moribund,  now  it  was  in  dissolu- 
tion. Individual  men  in  the  early 
sixties  kept  their  strong  shoulders 
under  the  towering,  tottering  mass. 
George  Smith  was  the  Atlas  sup- 
porting the  Georgia  banks  of 
Milledgeville  and  La  Grange. 
Against  him  and  them  fought 
a  fighter  by  nature. "  He  was  a 
fortified  by  its  lead  mines,  the 

R.  K.  Swift 


ELIHU    B.    WASHBURN. 


Farewell  to 
George  Smith 


Henry     Corwith,    described  as 
Galena    banker,    and    Galena   was 

products  whereof  brought  gold  in  the  world's  markets, 
joined  with  Corwith  in  the  effort  to  drive  out  George  Smith  by  collect- 
ing and  sending  down  to  Georgia  by  Elihu  B.  Washburn  all  the  Mill- 
edgeville and  La  Grange  bills  they  could  get ;  but  Smith  was  always 
ready  for  them,  redeemed  the  bills  as  fast  as  presented,  and  got  back  at 
the  senders  with  equal,  or  greater,  sums  of  the  bills  of  banks  which  they 
had  started.  The  Swifts  were  driven  to  the  wall,  and,  at  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war,  travel  between  North  and  South  being  interrupted,  no  more 
demands  on  Georgia  banks  could  be  made.  Nevertheless  George  Smith 
finally  redeemed  every  dollar  of  his  currency  at  par. 


THE  SIXTIES  A  T  HOME.  283 

One  naturally  asks  what  became  of  those  millions  of  slips  of  paper 
after  they  had  passed  from  hand  to  hand,  from  banker  to  public,  from 
buyer  to  seller,  from  debtor  to  creditor,  from  employer  to  employed, 
from  victim  to  robber,  from  philanthropist  to  beggar,  from  beggar  to 
grog  shop — loans,  legacies,  payments,  bribes,  gifts,  wages  of  labor  and 
of  sin  or  what  not.  There  must  have  been  tons  in  all  ;  if  not  a  car-Woidrradgsgo<? 
load,  at  least  a  huge  truck-load.  Some  of  it  exists,  in  the  shape  of  curi- 
ious  relics.  The  Historical  Society  possesses  some  nominal  thousands 
in  all  stages  of  wear-and-tear,  loaded  with  grime,  grease  and  the  sweat 
of  many  palms.  But  all  these  would  not  fill  a  grip-sack.  Where  did  the 
great  mass  finally  lodge  and  rest? 

This  seeming  puzzle  has  a  very  simple  answer,  so  far  as  concerns 
the  bills  issued  on  the  security  of  bonds  deposited  with  the  Auditor  of 
the  State  of  Illinois  or  whatever  officer  in  other  States  had  charge  of 
securities  deposited  under  laws  similar  to  that  of  Illinois.  He  it  was 
who  countersigned  and  issued  the  bills  as  he  received  the  State  bonds 
furnished  to  him  as  security  for  them  ;  and  he  it  was  who  must  take  them 
back  before  he  could  return  those  State  bonds  to  their  owners.  There- 
fore the  bankers,  as  fast  as  their  issues  were  returned  to  them  for 
redemption,  hurried  them  to  Springfield,  got  back  their  bonds  and  sold 
them  in  Wall  street  or  where  they  could.  The  currency  poured  into  the 
State  office  at  Springfield  and  was  burned.* 

When  the  war  closed,  business  affairs  in  Chicago  and  the  North- 
west were  in  an  easy,  though  not  a  healthy,  state.  Inflation  still  pre- 
vailed, though  it  was  national  inflation  instead  of  stumptail  inflation. 
Gold  was  worth  two-and-a-half  for  one  at  the  darkest  days ;  therefore  a  Grinfl«fon. 
man  who  borrowed  a  dollar  in  1860  could  pay  the  debt  with  forty  cents 
in  1865.  The  apparent  profits  of  investment  in  real  or  personal  property 
were  fifty  per  cent,  a  year  through  the  mere  depreciation  of  currency. 
Therefore  was  it  said,  with  a  kind  of  truth,  that  "  the  greatest  fool  was 
the  best  man  of  business ; "  that  is,  he  who  went  most  recklessly  into 
debt  got  rich  the  fastest. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  rates  paid  for  day  labor  grew  in  a  triple 
ratio.  There  was  more  to  do  because  of  the  demands  of  Government 
and  the  waste  of  war :  There  were  fewer  to  do  it  because  of  the  absence 
of  so  many  workers :  The  wages  were  paid  in  depreciated  currency. 
The  chief  sufferers  were  those  who  had  to  live  on  a  stated  income  arising 
from  money  lent,  or  in  some  other  way  established  when  things  were 
at  a  specie  basis  and  unchanged  when  inflation  made  everything  dear. 

*  A  similar  process  is  now  (1891)  constantly  going  on  in  the  United  States  Treasury  building  at  Washington  regard- 
ing such  greenbacks  or  bills  of  national  banks  as  «re  to  be  redeemed  because  of  being  worn  or  mutilated  or  because  the 
issuing  banks  desire,  for  any  reason,  to  have  them  retired.  The  process  now,  however,  is  to  macerate  the  bills  to  a  pulp 
instead  of  burning  them. 


286 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


21.  Col.  Charles  W.  Davis, 

U.  S.  V. 
25.  Maj.  George  Mason, 

30.  Capt.  George  M.  Farn- 

ham,  U.  S.  V. 
33.  Lieut.  Archibald  Winne. 

U.  S.  V. 
37.  Mai.  William  M.  Luff, 

U.S.V. 


22.  Maj.  William    E.   Fur- 
ness.  U.  S.  V. 

26.  Capt.  Horace  H.  Thomas. 
U.  S.  V. 

30.  Col.  William  B.  Keeler, 
U.  S.  V. 

34.  Surgeon  James  N.  Hyde, 

38.  Master  Charles  W.  Ad- 
ams, U.  S.  N. 


23.  Mai.     Huntineton     W. 

Jackson,  U.  S.  V. 
27.  Capt.  John  G.  McWill- 

iams,  U.  S.  V. 
31.  Capt.  Amos  J.  Harding, 

35.  Maj.  Clarence  H.  Dyer, 

39.  Maj.  Samuel  E.  Barrett, 
U.  S.  V. 


24.  Col.  Aldace  F.  Walker, 
U.  S.  V. 

28.  Brig.  Gen.  Joseph  Stock- 
ton, U.  S.  V. 

32.  Lieut.  Martin  J.  Russell, 
U.  S    V. 

36.  Maj.    Robert    W.    Mc- 
Claughry,  U.  S.  V 

40,  Col.  John  Mason 
Loomis.  U.  S.  V. 


THE   SIXTIES  AT  HOME. 


287 


dearer,  dearest.  A  soldier's  family,  trying  to  get  along  on  the  money  sent 
back  by  the  absent  bread-winner — only  thirteen  dollars  a  month,  even 
when  he  sent  every  penny  home,  as  many  did, — and  the  thirteen  dollars 
dwindling  month  by  month  as  the  price  of  the  necessaries  of  life  climbed 
out  of  reach;  the  thought  of  such  sufferings  and  sacrifices  brings  a 
swelling  of  the  heart  and  dimming  of  the  eyes  which  makes  it  hard  even 
to  dwell  upon  them  !  The  relief  societies  of  the  rich  did  large  and  noble 
work  ;  the  neighborly  help  of  the  poordid  ten  times  as  much  in  unmarked 
ways;  all  this  was  well,  but,  after  all,  the  stay-at-home  givers  grew  rich 
and  the  absent  fighters  and  their  families  grew  poor,  and  so,  to  this  day, 
the  respective  classes  have,  on  an  average,  remained.  There  was  always 
plenty  of  work  and  wages  at  the  rear — and  plenty  of  room  at  the  front. 


End  of  the 
Stormy 
Sixties. 


But  no\v  the  stormy  "sixties"  seemed  to  come  to  a  safe,  un- 
troubled close.  The  war  was  five  years  past,  the  gold  premium  falling 
every  day,  the  national  debt  shrinking  every  month,  the  city  growing 
at  every  census,  fresh  water  coining  in  floods  from  the  new  crib  and 
tunnel,  the  sewage  departing  through  the  deep-cut  canal  by  its  own  "confidence, 
gravity,  the  city  government  all  in  good  working  order. 

The  fire  department  was  particularly  ample,  showing  201  men,  17 
steam  fire-engines,  54  hose  carts,  4  hook-and-ladder  trucks,  2  hose  ele- 
vators, i  fire  escape,  1 1  alarm  bells  and  48,000  feet  of  hose. 

"Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall." 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 


The  Great 
Drought 
before  the 
Great  Fire. 


Condition  of 
the  city  in 
i87I. 


THE    GREAT    FIRE. 

ULY  3,  1871,  was  a  "showery  day,"  that  is 
to  say,  one -and -a- half  inches  of  rain 
fell.  From  that  time  to  October  9, 
1871,  but  two-and-a-half  inches  fell  in  all. 
In  other  words  in  the  ninety-eight  days 
there  was  only  a  total  rainfall  equal  to 
a  day  and  two-thirds  of  showers,*  about 
one-fourth  of  the  average  supply  at  that 
season  of  the  year.  Such  dryness,  if  per- 
petual, would  make  a  desert  of  the  Grand 
Prairie.  Meanwhile,  the  southwest  wind, 

the  hot-haze-laden,  the  thirsty,  the  grass-killer,  the  corn-ripener,  the 
hay-fever-breeder,  the  Western  sirocco  —  in  short.the  prevailing  prairie 
breeze  which,  even  in  ordinary  seasons,  blows  strongly  and  steadily 
perhaps  four  days  out  of  five  the  year  round,  and  perhaps  nine  days 
out  of  ten  during  the  summer,  leaving  its  mark  on  the  trend  of  the 
branches  of  every  pliable  tree,  from  the  willow  to  the  cottonwood  ; 
this  blast  blew  without  ceasing. 

It  turned  the  prairies  brown  and  dry  as  old  hay,  so  that  they 
lighted  at  a  touch,  and  burned  as  long  as  a  blade  or  a  leaf  was  in 
the  fire's  path.  The  prairie  fires  ignited  the  grass  in  meadow  and 
the  hay  in  stack,  the  grain  in  rick,  and  the  corn  in  shock.  The  wind 
sucked  all  the  moisture  out  of  the  forests,  so  that  by  the  square  mile 
and  the  township  they  burned  like  the  grass  and  the  crops.  It  turned 
all  the  wood  in  wooden  Chicago  into  tinder ;  and  as  soon  as  the 
fittest  moment  came,  turned  the  tinder  into  flame  and  ashes. 

Chicago  had  then  a  population  of  about  334,000.  The  city  limits 
were  Fullerton  Avenue  on  the  north,  the  lake  on  the  east,  Thirty-first 
Street  on  the  south,  and  Western  Avenue  on  the  west,  about  eighteen 
square  miles,  or  11,520  acres.  The  North  Side  had  chiefly  wooden 
buildings ;  varying  from  the  elegant  homestead,  occupying  a  whole 
square,  to  the  miles  of  small,  cheap  tenements,  each  usually  standing 
alone,  gable  toward  the  street,  and  only  a  few  feet  from  its  neighbor 
on  each  side,  from  which  it  was  separated  by  high  pine  fences.  The 
pavements  were  wooden,  but  not  inflammable ;  while  the  sidewalks, 

*  The  War  Department  records  show  even  less ;  namely,  one-and-a-quarter  inches  for  the  ninety-eight  daya. 


THE   GREAT  FIRE. 


289 


almost  entirely  of  pine  plank,  were  generally  raised,  allowing  a  free 
circulation  of  air  beneath,  and  fit  to  burn  like  a  box  of  matches. 

The  business  part  of  the  South  Side  also  contained  a  great  num- 
ber of  wooden  buildings ;  and  even  the  brick  structures  were,  as  a 
rule,  of  flimsy  build,  with  wooden  floors,  doors,  windows,  lathing 
and  roofs.  Of  the  West  Side  no  account  need  be  made,  except  to 
say  that  from  Jefferson  and  De  Koven  Streets  to  the  South  Branch 
everything  was  wooden.  Worst  of  all  and  most  disastrous  (and  insane), 
the  Water-works  (at  the  foot  of  Chicago  Avenue)  had  a  wooden  ceil- 
ing to  its  engine-room,  and  a  wooden  roof  covered  with  a  thin  layer 
of  slate.* 

The  feast  was  spread,  and  only  awaited  the  fiend  ;  and  he  deigned 
to  take  a  taste  of  it  on  Saturday,  October  7,  1871.  A  fire  occurred 


THE  BURNT   DISTRICT. 


that  night,  the  largest,  in  extent  of  ground  laid  bare,  that  Chicago 
had  ever  seen.  Twenty-seven  acres  —  four  blocks,  inclosed  by  Adams, 
Clinton  and  Van  Buren  Streets,  and  the  South  Branch  —  were  burned 
over.  The  "Tribune"  of  the  next  morning  reports  the  firemen  as 
working  most  heroically.  It  adds,  however,  that  a  saloon-keeper,  at 
the  corner  of  Canal  and  Adams  Streets,  threw  open  his  stock  to  the 
public,  and  that  the  firemen  availed  themselves  of  that  hospitality. 
This  brings  to  mind  the  talk  which,  in  the  days  that  followed,  threw 
discredit  on  the  personnel  of  the  Fire  Department.  It  was  reported 
and  believed  that  this  branch  of  the  city  government,  like  most  of 
the  others,  had  been  controlled  by  party  politics,  and  not  in  accord- 
ance with  the  best  interests  of  the  city.  Also,  that  Saturday,  October 

*  It  is  reported  that  the  roof  and  ceiling  were  originally  of  iron,  but  had  been  replaced  with  wood,  because 
the  iron  collected  and  condensed  the  steam,  letting  it  drop  in  water  on  the  machinery  and  injure  it  by  rust. 


Condition 
of  the  Fire 
Department. 


2()O 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


7th,  was  pay-day  in  the  department,  which  fact,  added  to  the  great  and 
exhausting  labors  of  Saturday  night,  made  Sunday,  a  day  of — relaxation 
to  use  no  harsher  term.  Two  of  the  seventeen  engines  were  in  the 
repair-shop,  and  the  rest  were  certainly  not  the  better  for  their 


The  O'Lcary 
House  and 
Stable. 


WHERE  THE  FIRE  OF   i87»  STARTED— 137    DE  KOVEN  STREET,  1891. 

Saturday's   experience,   any  more    than    were    the   men   in    charge    of 

them.     Such  was  the  angry  gossip  of  the  days  we  are  now  nearing. 

On  Sunday  night  there  was  a  festive  dance  in  the  little  wooden 

house,   No.    137  De  Koven  Street,  occupied  by  Patrick  O'Leary  and 


THE   GREAT  FIRE. 


291 


his  wife  Catherine,  also  their  five  children,  also  Catherine  McLaughlan, 
who  occupied  part  of  the  house,  and  was  on  that  evening  entertain- 
ing friends  with  music,  dancing  and  the  festive  bowl.  In  the  rear 
of  the  house  was  a  barn,  of  wood,  two  stories  high  ;  the  loft  full  of 
hay,  and  the  main  floor  containing  a  horse  and  wagon  and  some 
cows  which  the  O'Learys  kept,  making  a  business  of  supplying  milk 
to  customers.  A  high  wind  was  blowing  from  the  Southwest. 

Shortly  before  9  r.  M.  fire  was  discovered  issuing  from  the  O'Leary 
barn.  So  far,  there  is  no  conflict  of  testimony.  The  belief  of  the  city  Testimony 
and  the  world  was  that  the  fire  aforesaid  was  started  by  a  kerosene 
lamp,  used  by  Mrs.  O'Leary  and  upset  by  the  cow.  (A  broken  lamp 
was  found  in  the  ruins  of  the  stable.)  But  Mrs.  O'Leary  denied 
under  oath  the  soft  impeachment.  She  testified  "  that  she  and  her 

family  were   in    bed,   but    not   asleep and    knew  nothing 

of  the  fire  until  Mr.  Sullivan  .  .  .  woke  them  up."  Thereupon, 
the  captious  world  re-asserted  its  belief  that  Mrs.  O'Leary  knew  all 
about  the  fire  before  being  awakened  from  the  sleep  into  which  she 
had  not  yet  fallen ;  and  that  her  denial  was  prompted  by  fear  that 
she  might  be  called  upon  to  make  good  the  consequent  loss  of  $200,- 
000,000,  which,  even  if  she  had  been  willing,  she  was  quite  unable 
to  do,  seeing  that,  though  her  house  was  unharmed,  she  had  lost  her 
barn,  her  live-stock,  and  consequently  her  milk-business. 

So  did  a  little  laughter  force  its  way  through  many  groans,  sighs 
and  tears. 

There  was  miserable  delay  in  getting  the  alarm  to  the  depart- 
ment, and  in  getting  water  to  the  fire  after  the  alarm.  The  watch- Delay m giving 
man  on  the  court-house  saw  the  light  and  misjudged  it  as  being  a 
mile  west  of  where  it  actually  was;  by  which  error  the  nearest  engines 
failed  to  get  to  the  fire  until  it  was  beyond  control,  in  the  dry  gale 
that  was  blowing  and  the  dry  fuel  that  was  ready  to  help  it  forward. 

Now  began  a  frightful  scene.     Great  brands  of  fire  were  caught 
up  high  in  the  air  —  observers  say  from  300  to  500  feet  —  and  whirled 
off  to   the   northeast,  dropping  where   they  would,  and  starting  new 
fires  far  to  leeward  of  the  old,  and  of  the  few,  puny,  ill-manned  engines 
playing  (rather  than  working),   to  hold   it   in   check.      At  this  point 
occurred  an  incident  which   connects  the  great  catastrophe  with  therheattack 
old,  peaceful,  early  days ;   it  is  the  burning  of  the  house  put  up  "in    thedefenc 
the  prairie,"  by  Judge  Caton,  as  related  in  a  previous  chapter.     The 
incident    is    given    (2  Andreas,   717)  by  William    Bateham,    an    early 
fire-marshal,  and  in   1871   a  member  of  the  city  council.     He  says: 

The  northwest  quarter  of  this  large  block  of  ground  was  known  as  the  "  Huntoon  Place," 
having  the  appearance  of  a  large  country  farm-house.  The  residence  stood  well  back  from  the 
street,  and  the  lot  was  filled  with  large  trees.  The  house  was  a  land-mark,  having  been  built 


the  alarm. 


292 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


by  Judge  J.  D.  Caton,  nearly  half  a  century  before.  The  quaint  old  mansion  had  twelve  stacks 
of  chimneys,  constructed  in  various  parts  of  the  house  to  accommodate  the  rooms.  It  was  alto- 
gether a  picturesque  place  in  the  neighborhood  of  puffing  and  impertinent  modern  factories.  .  .  . 
Thus  was  the  block  bounded  by  Harrison,  Mather,  Canal  and  Clinton  Streets  not  only  a  landmark 
of  the  progress  of  the  great  fire,  but  also  a  site  of  historic  interest. 

Engine  No.  14  was  surrounded  by  fire  at  Canal  and  Van  Buren 
Streets,  and  abandoned  to  destruction.  This  was  about  half-past  ten. 
Now  the  flames  had  reached  the  space  burned  over  on  Saturday  night, 
and  here,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  would  the  destruction  have 
been  stayed.  But  that  night  no  single  ordinary  circumstance  pre- 
vailed. To  quote  the  account  of  Sheahan  and  Upton  : 


WASHINGTON  STREET   AND  COURT  HOUSE,  OCTOBER  17,   1871. 

There  was  probably  not  a  person  in  the  South  Division  who  imagined  for  a  moment  that 
the  fire  would  extend  beyond  the  portion  of  the  city  in  which  it  originated.  Indeed,  when  it 
approached  the  burned  district  of  the  previous  Saturday  night,  there  was  a  universal  sigh  of  relief, 
for  here,  certainly,  it  would  be  stayed,  notwithstanding  the  furious  wind.  The  hope  was  futile. 
At  twenty  minutes  past  twelve,  a  huge  burning  brand  was  blown  across  the  river.  Onward  it 
Flames  jump  sped,  like  a  fiery  messenger  of  doom,  and  lodged  on  the  roof  of  a  three-story  tenement  house 
South  Branch  which  was  as  dry  as  tinder.  The  roof  was  immediately  in  a  blaze.  .  .  .  The  house  was  about 
midway  between  Adams,  Monroe,  Wells  and  Market  Streets,  and  surrounded  by  wooden  houses. 
Through  this  wooden  nest  the  fire  spread  with  inconceivable  rapidity,  and  soon  attacked  "  Conley's 
Patch,"  densely  covered  with  saloons,  tumble-down  hovels  and  sheds,  and  peopled  by  the  lowest 
class  in  the  rity.  '  .  .  .  The  male  inhabitants  were  absent  at  the  fire  in  the  West  Division  ; 
and,  as  the  flames  reached  it,  squalid  women  and  children  rushed  out  in  droves.  Most  of  them 
escaped  ;  but  undoubtedly  some  were  overtaken  by  the  fire  and  miserably  perished.  Right  and 


THE  GREAT  FIRE. 

left  the  flames  spread  as  fast  as  a  man  could  walk,  and  soon  the  gas  works,  and  huge  piles  of  coal 
in  the  yard,  took  fire,  and  a  red  glare  shone  all  over  the  doomed  city. 

The  watchmen  on  the  Court-house  fought  the  flying  embers,  and 
kept  the  great  10,000  pound  bell  ringing  by  machinery  until  they 
were  driven  away  by  the  ignition  of  the  cupola  (wooden),  and  the  ' 
whole  structure  became  almost  instantly  a  mass  of  flames.  The  bell 
rang  on  until  it  fell.  The  mayor,  Roswell  B.  Mason,  was  in  the 
building  as  long  as  it  was  tenantable,  giving  such  directions  as  seemed 
best,  among  other  things  authorizing  the  use  of  powder  by  Alderman 
Hildreth.  This  was  about  i  A.  M.  The  jail  was  in  the  basement, 
and  the  prisoners,  half-suffocated  with  smoke  and  frenzied  with  fear, 
shrieked  and  shook  the  bars  of  their  cells,  until  Captain  Hickey,  to 

.       ,.  i          j       i  ,          UseofGun. 

save   their  lives,   ordered  the   doors    to   be  thrown    open,   when  they   po^er. 
rushed  out,  half-naked,  swarmed  on  a  truck  load  of  clothing  that  was 
passing  and  then  dispersed ;  the  one  wretched  fragment  of  humanity 
bettered  by  the  stupendous  calamity. 

This  was  the  supreme  moment  of  disaster ;  for  that  building  had 
been  the  storehouse  and  was  now  the  tomb  of  the  public  records. 
The  chain  of  title  by  which  every  owner  held  every  foot  of  property 
in  Cook  County,  from  the  Government  to  the  latest  buyer  and  lender, 
was  coming  to  utter  annihilation.  All  real  estate  —  the  burned,  the 
burning  and  the  untouched  —  would  lie,  when  those  records  werec<g; 
destroyed,  as  naked  of  legal,  recorded  proof  of  ownership,  as  it  had 
been  when  Joliet  passed  it  in  1673  >  always  excepting  a  slender  thread 
of  evidence  contained  in  certain  "abstract  books"  and  "indexes" 
owned  by  private  persons,  all  stored  near  by  in  buildings  as  certain 
to  be  burned  as  the  burning  Court-house  itself.  Did  this  slender 
thread  also  perish  ?  We  shall  see. 

At  about  3  A.  M.  the  Postoffice  and  Sub-treasury  were  burned, 
the  latter  with  some  $2,000,000  in  currency  and  Government  securi- 
ties. A  writer  in  the  "Times"  of  October  18  said: 

Hardly  twenty  minutes  had  elapsed  from  the  burning  of  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel  [La  Salle 
and  Jackson  Streets]  before  the  fire  had  cut  its  hot  swathe  through  every  one  of  the  intervening 
buildings,  and  fallen  mercilessly  upon  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  [La  Sa'.le  and  Washington  Streets]. 
The  few  heroic  workers  of  the  Police  and  Fire  Departments,  wno  had  not  already  dropped  out  of 
the  ranks  of  fighters,  from  sheer  exhaustion,  sought  once  more  to  check  the  devastation  by  the 
aid  of  powder.  A  number  of  kegs  were  thrown  into  the  basement  of  the  grand  business  palace 
of  the  Merchants'  Insurance  Company.  A  slow  match  was  applied,  and  as  the  crowd  drew  back 
the  explosion  ensued.  A  broad,  black  chasm  was  opened  :  but  ....  the  arms  of  flame 
swung  over  the  gap,  and  tore  lustily  at  the  rows  of  banking  houses  and  insurance  companies 
beyond. 

One  observer  reported  that  the  fire  moved  straight  from  its  start- 
ing point  to  the  water-works,  like  a  wild  beast  intent  on  destroying  itsF'o"ht 
worst  enemy,   the  enemy  which   it  must  either  kill  or  be  killed  by. 
Another  likens  it  to  a  torrent  sweeping  mainly  straight  onward,  but 


294- 


TH  E  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Fire  crosses 
the  main 
river. 


causing  innumerable  side  eddies.  Another  calls  it  an  army,  pre- 
ceded and  flanked  by  skirmishers,  and  leaving  in  its  track  only  dead 
and  wounded. 

Up  to  the  time  of  its  passage  of  the  main  river,  the  fire  had 
done  its  work  on  the  West  Side  (194  acres),  and  had  partly  done  that 
on  the  South  Side  (460  acres);  now  it  began  the  unchecked  devas- 
tation of  the  North  Side  (1,488  acres).  It  was  at  half-past  two,  A.  M. 
that  Wright's  livery  stable,  at  Kinzie  and  State  Streets,  only  a  stone's 
throw  from  the  river,  caught  fire  and  burned  fiercely ;  many  fine  horses 


DEARBORN   STREET   NORTH    FROM    ADAMS,   OCTOBER  17,   1871. 

being  lost  through  the  suddenness  of  the  attack.  It  took  fire  from 
a  car  loaded  with  kerosene  standing  on  the  North-Western  Railway. 
At  3.20  A.  M.  the  city  water-works  took  fire  in  the  inflammable 
and  unprotected  roof.  To  avoid  doing  injustice  to  the  persons  in 
charge  of  the  one  establishment  the  failure  of  which  to  do  its  duty 
was  the  death-blow  to  all  efforts  to  fight  the  fire,  let  their  own  words 
be  heard  : 

d'efend'the  Frank  Trautman,  assistant  engineer;  S.  W.  Fuller,   time-keeper;  D.  W.   Fuller  and  others 

Water  Works  were  on  watch,  guarding  every  exposed  point  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  .  .  .  As  the  walls 
of  the  building  were  of  stone,  the  roof  covered  with  slate,  and  the  whole  structure  quite  as  sub- 
stantial as  ordinary  circumstances  would  require,  there  appeared  no  immediate  cause  for  alarm. 


THE   GREAT  FIRE. 


295 


,     However,     ....     a  line  of  hose  was  laid  from  the  hydrant,  and  men  with  buckets 

of  water  were  stationed  on  the  roof  and  between  that  and  the  ceiling 

The  roof  of  the  main  building,  as  before  stated,  was  covered  with  slate  ;  the  bays,  and 
that  portion  adjoining  the  battlements  of  stone  three  feet  high  were  covered  with  tin.  There 
was  no  exterior  woodwork  in  the  cornice  or  elsewhere.  However,  but  a  short  time  elapsed  before 
the  roof  ignited,  the  fire  communicated  to  the  floors  and  other  woodwork,  and  the  interior  became 
a  mass  of  flame.  .  .  .  Assistant  Engineer  Trautman,  with  the  regular  night  corps  of  firemen 
and  others,  courageously  remained  at  their  posts  until  a  portion  of  the  roof  fell  in,  when  the  engines 
were  stopped,  the  fires  hauled  and  the  safety-valves  raised,  leaving  the  faithful  men  barely  time 
to  escape  from  the  burning  building. 

"  The  assistant  engineer  with  the  regular  night  force."  Where 
was  the  day-force,  and,  if  needful,  a  hundred  or  a  thousand  extra 


WASHINGTON  STREET,   WEST   FROM   WABASH   AVENUE,  OCTOBER  17,  1871. 

men?  It  certainly  must  have  been  known  that  the  ceiling  of  the 
engine-room  was  of  wood,  as  were  the  doors,  floors  and  window 
frames.  All  must  have  perceived  that  a  fearful  exigency  was  at  hand, 
wherein  devotion  to  the  very  death  might  be  called  for.  This  WTater- 
works  squad  was  the  forlorn  hope,  the  last  reliance  of  a  beaten  army, 
and — it  makes  an  orderly  retreat;  all  hands  saved.  [See  Fire  Appendix.  ] 
The  fire,  having  now  reached  the  wooden  North  Side,  laid  low  its 
foes,  the  pumping  engines,  and  entered  upon  an  unopposed  career  of 
rapine  ;  seemed  to  take  on  a  new  character,  best  described  by  a  letter 


Whose  fault? 


One  woman's 
story. 


296 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO 


written  to  the  East  immediately  afterward,   and  preserved  in    certain 
family  archives.     The  following  are  extracts  from  that  letter : 

.  .  .  On  Sunday  morning,  October  8th,  Robert  Collyer  gave  his  people  what  we  all  felt  to 
be  a  wonderful  sermon  on  the  text :  "  Think  ye  that  those  upon  whom  the  tower  of  Siloam  fell  were 
sinners  above  all  those  who  dwelt  at  Jerusalem  ?  "  .  .  .  We  passed  the  pleasant,  bright  Sunday, 
some  of  us  going  over  to  the  scene  of  the  West  Side  fire  of  the  night  before  and  espying,  from  a  good 
distance,  the  unhappy  losers  of  so  much  property.  ...  At  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  fire 
bells  were  ringing  constantly,  and  we  went  to  bed,  regretting  that  there  must  be  more  property 
burning  up  on  the  West  Side.  Eleven  o'clock,  twelve  o'clock,  and  I  woke  my  sister,  saying :  "  It's 
very  singular;  I  never  heard  anything  like  the  fires  to-night.  It  seems  as  if  the  whole  West  Side 
must  be  afire."  One  o'clock,  two  o'clock  ;  we  get  up  and  look  out.  "Great  God!  The  fire  has 
crossed  the  river  from  the  South  !  Can  there  be  any  danger  here  ?"  And  we  looked  anxiously  out, 
to  see  men  hurrying  by,  screaming  and  swearing,  and  the  whole  city  to  the  South  and  West  of  us 
one  vivid  glare.  "  Where  are  the  engines  ?  Why  don't  we  hear  them  as  usual  ?"  we  asked  each 


CITY  WATER  WORKS,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

other,  thoroughly  puzzled,  but  even  yet  hardly  personally  frightened,  by  the  strange  aspect  of  the 
brilliant  and  surging  streets  below.  Then  came  a  loud  knocking  at  the  door  :  "  Ladies,  ladies,  get 
up  !  Pack  your  trunks  and  prepare  to  leave  your  house.  It  may  not  be  necessary,  but  it's  well  to 
be  prepared."  It  was  a  friend  who  had  fought  his  way  through  the  LaSalle  Street  tunnel  to  warn  us 
that  the  city  was  on  fire.  We  looked  at  each  other  with  white  faces.  .  .  .  We  determined  to  wait 
till  the  last  minute,  and  threw  some  valuables  into  a  trunk,  while  we  anxiously  watched  the  ever- 
approaching  flame  and  tumult. 

Then  came  a  strange  sound  in  the  air,  which  stilled,  for  a  moment,  the  surging  crowd.  Was 
it  thunder?  No,  the  sky  was  clear  and  full  of  stars,  and  we  shuddered  as  we  felt,  but  did  not  say, 
it  was  a  tremendous  explosion  of  gunpowder.  By  this  time  the  blazing  sparks  and  bits  of  burning 
wood,  which  we  had  been  fearfully  watching,  were  fast  becoming  an  unintermitting  fall  of  burning 
hail,  and  another  shower  of  blows  on  the  door  warned  us  that  there  was  not  a  moment  to  be  lost. 
.  .  .  I  ran  down-stairs,  repeating  to  make  myself  remember,  "  birds,  deeds,  silver,  jewelry,  silk 
dresses,"  as  the  order  in  which  we  would  try  to  save  our  property,  if  it  came  to  the  worst. 

As  I  paused  in  our  pretty  parlors,  how  my  heart  ached  !  Here  lay  a  relic  of  my  father's 
library,  a  copy  of  a  Bible  printed  in  1637,  on  one  table;  on  another  .  .  .  the  gift  of  a  lost  friend. 
What  should  I  take?  What  should  I  leave?  I  alternately  loaded  myself  with  gift  after  gift,  and 
dashed  them  down  in  despair.  .  .  .  But  my  poor  parrot  called  my  name  and  asked  for  a  peanut, 
and  I  could  no  more  have  left  him  than  if  he  had  been  a  baby.  But  could  I  carry  that  huge  cage? 
No  indeed  !  So  I  reluctantly  took  my  poor  little  canary,  who  was  painfully  fluttering  about  and 


THE  GREAT  FIRE. 


297 


wondering  at  the  disturbance,  and  kissing  him,  opened  the  front  door  and  sel  him  free — only  to 
smother,  I  fear. 

What  a  sight  our  usually  quiet  street  [Dearborn  Avenue]  presented  !  As  far  as  I  could  see,  a 
horrible  wall— a  surging,  struggling,  encroaching  wall — like  a  vast  surface  of  grimacing  demons,  came 
pressing  up  the  street — a  wall  of  fire,  ever  nearer  and  nearer,  steadily  advancing  on  our  midnight 
helplessness.  .  .  .  A  truck  loaded  with  goods  dashed  up  the  street,  and,  as  I  looked,  flames  burst 
out  from  the  sides  and  it  burned  to  ashes  in  front  of  our  door.  No  hope,  no  help  for  property:  what 
we  could  not  carry,  we  must  lose.  So,  forcing  my  reluctant  parrot  into  the  little  bird's  cage,  I  took 
him  under  one  arm  and  a  little  handbag  on  the  other,  and  started.  The  good  friend  who  had  warned 
us  appeared,  and,  leaving  all  his  own  things,  insisted  on  helping  my  sister  save  ours,  and  he  and  she 
started  on,  dragging  a  trunk.  They  were  obliged  to  abandon  it  at  the  second  corner.  ...  As  I 
turned  wildly  back  once  more,  I  saw  the  beautiful  Episcopal  Church  of  St.  James  in  flames.  They 
came  on  all  sides,  licking  the  marble  buttresses,  one  by  one,  and  leaving  charred  or  blackened  masses. 
But  the  most  wonderful  sight  of  all  was  the  white  and  shining  church  tower,  from  which,  as  I  looked, 
burst  tongues  of  fire.  .  .  . 

Constantly,  faces  that  I  knew  flashed  across  me,  but  they  were  always  in  a  dream,  all  black- 
ened and  discolored,  and  with  an  expression  I  never  saw  before.  .  .  .  Very  little  selfishness  and 
no  violence  did  I  see.  .  .  .  Some  friend — it  was  days  before  I  knew  who — took  my  parrot  and 


ST.  JAMES  CHURCH,  FROM  RUSH  ST. 


FIRST  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 


forced  a  little  bottle  of  tea  and  a  bag  of  crackers  into  my  hand  as  I  wandered.  ...  I  found  myself 
opposite  Unity  Church.  ...  I  was  grieving  enough,  heaven  knows,  over  my  private  woes; 
but  I  awoke  to  new  miseries  when  I  saw  our  pastor's  heart,  which  had  sustained  the  fainting  spirit 
of  so  many,  freely  give  way  to  lamentations  and  tears,  as  his  precious  library,  the  slow  accumulation 
of  twenty  laborious  and  economical  years,  fell  and  flamed  into  nothingness  in  that  awful  fire. 
.  A  new  sight  soon  struck  my  eye.  What  in  the  world  was  that  dark,  lurid,  purplish  ball,  that 
hung  before  me,  constantly  changing  its  appearance,,  like  some  fiendish  face  that  grimaces  at  our 
misery?  I  looked  and  looked  and  looked  again.  May  I  never  see  the  sun,  the  cheerful  daily  herald 
of  comfort  and  peace,  look  like  that  again.  It  looked  devilish,  and  I  pinched  myself  to  see  if  I  was 
not  losing  my  senses.  It  did  not  seem  ten  minutes  since  I  had  seen  the  little  moon  look  out,  cold, 
quiet  and  pitiless,  through  a  rift  in  the  smoke-cloud,  from  the  deep  blue  of  the  sky.  .  .  . 

C.  S.  K. 

It  is  needless  to  follow  the  sickening  details  of  the  slow  hours  fol- 
lowing the  failure  of  the  water-works.  Many  a  man  made  frantic  efforts 
to  save  his  home,  only  to  see  it  lost  at  last.  Each  was  like  a  private 
soldier,  facing  a  victorious  enemy  after  his  captain  has  fallen  or  fled. 


298 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Pitiful 
struggles. 


Outpouring 
the  world 
pity. 


Many,  out  of  the  direct  course  of  the  wind,  succeeded  in  their  efforts. 
They  soaked  carpets  and  blankets  in  the  scanty  and  uncertain  cisterns 
and  other  deposits  not  dependent  on  the  public  supply,  and  with  them 
covered  their  roofs  and  window  cases,  while  with  their  feet  they  stamped 
out  the  stray  brands  that  assailed  them.  So  was  the  destruction  stayed 
on  its  Northwestern  edge.  The  last  house  to  be  destroyed  was  that  of 
Dr.  John  H.  Foster,  on  Fullerton  Avenue,  where  it  ends  in  Lincoln  Park. 
It  burned  at  about  half-past  ten  on  Monday  night,  twenty-five  hours 
after  the  time,  and  four  miles  from  the  place,  of  the  starting  of  the 
flames. 

Of  the  fire  apparatus  there  were  abandoned  to  destruction  eight 
engines,  one  hose-elevator,  three  hose-carts  and  three  hook  and  ladder 


MARINE  BANK. 


SOUTHEAST  COR.  OF  LAKE  AXD  CLARK  STS. 


trucks.  This  is  not,  as  might  at  first  appear,  a  mark  of  cowardly 
desertion  ;  rather  the  contrary,  for  it  tends  to  show  that  the  men  kept 
their  machines  in  service  until  it  was  too  late  to  harness  the  horses 
to  them  ;  and  a  steam  fire-engine  can  not  be  dragged  by  hand  with- 
out leading-ropes,  no  matter  how  willing  its  crew  might  be. 

The  relief  work,  wherein  all  the  world  joined,  is  a  familiar  memory. 
sf  Volumes  have  been  written  about  it,  and  still  much  must  be  left  to 
the  imagination.  At  first,  everybody  was  full  of  zeal  in  trying  to 
do  everything  for  everybody  else.  The  natural  impulse  was  to  get 
rid  of  as  many  hungry  mouths  as  possible,  and  so  the  railroads  car- 
ried away  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands ;  and,  in  an  immense 
number  of  cases,  without  charge.  Special  relief  committees  brought 
money,  provisions  (cooked  and  uncooked),  clothing,  and  all  the  imme- 


THE   GREAT  FIRE. 


diate  necessaries  of  life.  This  generous  course,  indispensable  at  first, 
could  not  go  on  without  injustice  to  givers  and  receivers,  for  it  offered 
a  premium  on  grasping  beggary,  and  left  honest  want  in  the  back- 
ground. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  begin  to  name  the  benefactors.  Once 
begun,  the  list  could  never  be  closed  without  doing  injustice  to  the 
unenumerated.  By  telegraph  came  offers  of  $100,000  each  from  Bos- 
ton, New  York,  Brooklyn,  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh!  Now,  if  one 
could  look  at  some  of  the  small,  smaller,  smallest  gifts,  with  knowledge 
of  the  proportion  they  bore  to  the  means  of  the  giver,  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  these  great  benefactions  would  dwindle  by  comparison. 

A  Relief  Committee  was  organized,  which  appointed  sub-com- 
mittees in  charge  of  health,  the  lost  and  found,  the  water  supply, 


First  Relief 
Committees. 


TRIBUNE  BUILDING,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

the  shelter  and  provisions.  Churches  became  the  natural  centres  of 
relief.  All  school-houses  were  devoted  to  sheltering  the  homeless. 
The  street  watering-carts  turned  their  attention  from  laying  the  dust 
of  the  streets  to  moistening  the  clay  of  thirsty  humanity.  It  is  safe 
to  say  that  even  on  those  terrible  nights  of  Monday  and  Tuesday, 
few  if  any  went  hungry  to  rest,  though  many  had  to  sleep  ouj:  of  doors, 
under  such  slight  shelters  as  ruins  and  scraps  could  afford.  On  Mon- 
day night  Chicagoans  fed  each  other ;  on  Tuesday  night  the  outside 
world  was  feeding  all  together. 

Some  of  the  ablest,  most  noted,  honored  and  trusted  citizens, 
banded  together  under  the  name  of  the  Relief  and  Aid  Society,  met 
and  remained  in  almost  continuous  session,  and  gradually  all  the 
scattered  and  sporadic  movements  were  quietly  turned  over  to  their 


The  Chicago 
Relief  and 
Aid  Society. 


300 


THE  STORY  OF   CHICAGO. 


charge.  The  Mayor  was  naturally  the  recipient  of  the  great  mass  of 
money,  goods  and  offers  of  assistance;  and,  on  Friday,  October  I3th, 
he  issued  his  proclamation  turning  over  to  this  splendid  organization 
all  the  contributions  which  had  reached  him,  and  which  should  reach 
him.  The  manner  in  which  this  trust  was  administered  furnishes 
the  best  possible  testimony  to  the  wisdom  of  the  act.  They  perse, 
vered  in  their  devoted,  unpaid  servitude  to  the  city  not  for  days  and 
weeks  only,  but  for  months  and  years. 


GENERAL  RUIN;  CHICAGO,  OCTOBER  17,  1871 

To  preserve  order  some  500  citizens  were  sworn  in  as  special 
policemen,  and  many  thousands  enrolled  themselves  in  volunteer 
patrols  by-  which  the  unburned  streets  were  watched  day  and  night 

Special  Police     '  •.-/•».  i  r       i 

sworn  in.  to  guard  against  fire  and  against  any  organized  movement  of  the 
lawless  class  threatening  peace  and  order.  With  the  same  object  in 
view  Governor  Palmer  took  into  the  State  service  and  ordered  to 
the  city  six  companies  of  the  State  militia.  At  the  same  time  —  or 
rather,  before  the  arrival  of  troops,  for  it  was  on  the  night  of 
October  10 — he  sent  three  carloads  of  tents  and  supplies  from  Spring- 
field, which  arrived  on  Wednesday,  the  eleventh.  On  the  same  morn- 


THE   GREAT  FIRE. 


301 


ing  arrived  two  companies  of  regulars  from  Omaha,  ordered  in  by 
General  Philip  Sheridan,  at  the  request  of  Mayor  Mason,  and  under  the 
sanction  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  General  Belknap.  More  were 
under  way  and  continued  to  arrive  until  there  were  on  the  ground 
in  all  ten  companies  of  regulars,  and  eight  companies  of  State  militia. 
The  city  was  never  in  better  order  —  so  far  as  administration  of  justice 
was  concerned  —  than  then.  It  is  not  necessary  to  do  more  than 
allude  to  a  spasm  of  jealous  State  pride  which  made  Governor  Palmer 
and  others  take  offence  at  the  use  of  United  States  troops  on  this 
occasion.  Everybody  was  working  with  the  same  object  in  view, 
and  the  object  was  accomplished.  That  is  all. 


Militia  and 
regular 
troops   come. 


Sensitiveness 
regarding 

U.  S, soldiers. 


MICHIGAN  SOUTHERN   R.  R.  DEPOT  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE   FIRE  OK  1871. 

"  Water"  was  now  the  cry.  All  the  surviving  steam  fire-engines 
were  stationed  where  they  could  draw  water  from  the  river,  and  inject 
it  into  the  pipes  of  the  city  water-system.  The  Crane  Brothers  Manu- 
facturing Company  contributed  some  powerful  steam  pumps  for  the 
same  use,  which  were  driven  by  steam  from  the  boiler  of  a  North- 
Western  railway  engine ;  and  slowly,  slowly,  the  pipes  were  filled 
high  enough  to  reach  the  level  of  the  fire-plugs  ;  so  that  one  cause 
for  dread  was  somewhat  relieved.  Then,  eight  days  after  the  stop- 
page, namely,  on  October  17,  the  main  engine  built  up  to  that  time 
was  restored  to  running  order;  and,  with  its  18,000,000  gallons  per 
day,  made  the  temporary  expedients  with  their  few  thousands  quite 
unnecessary,  welcome  as  they  had  been  in  their  day. 

So  disappeared  from  earth  about  275  lives,  $190,000,000  of  pro- 
perty, 17,450  buildings,  including  the  homes  of  98,000  persons,  with 
substantially  all  their  household  goods,  chattels,  books,  pictures,  cloth- 


First  new 

supply  of 
water. 


302 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO 


ing  —  in  short,  everything  that  goes  to  make  a  home.  To  help  Chi- 
cago sustain  the  blow,  came  funds  about  as  follows  :  From  insurers 
(New  York,  Connecticut,  Great  Britain,  Massachusetts,  Ohio,  Pennsyl- 
onsvania,  California  and  Rhode  Island  leading),  between  $45,000,000  and 
$50,000,000.*  From  gifts  in  money  and  other  valuables,  sent  freely 
by  a  vast  range  of  countries  and  a  variety  of  ranks,  embracing  Eng- 
land's queen  and  New  York's  newsboys,  the  African,  the  Japanese 
and  the  Hindoo,  something  like  $4,000,000.  From  the  bone  and 
marrow,  blood  and  sinew  of  Chicago  herself,  about  $140,000,000  were 
taken,  after  all  alleviations  are  allowed  for. 

Nevertheless,   the  spirit  of  the  citizens  was  too  elastic  to  show 
any  long  depression.     What  man   has  done   man   can   do.     Man  had 


Rebound  of 

I:  ']  '• 


SHEPARD'S  BUII.DIN'G,  DEARBORN'  AND  MON'ROE  STS.,  BEFORE  AN'D  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 


built  Chicago,  and  could  build  it  again.  Some  one  saw  a  "  burnt 
outer"  pick  up  a  brick  from  his  ruins,  and  asked  him  what  he  was 
looking  for.  "  Looking  to  see  how  soon  they  will  be  cool  enough 
to  lay  again,"  said  he.  Mr.  Bross,  traveling  in  the  East  to  buy  a 
new  outfit  for  the  "  Tribune,"  had  occasion  to  speak  in  public  in 
answer  to  the  oft-repeated  question  regarding  Chicago's  future.  He 
felt  confident,  and  tried  to  express  his  confidence  —  tried  not  to  tinder- 
BTOSS  under,  state  the  city's  future  —  but  he  failed;  he  did  understate  it  in  spite  of 

estimates  the   «.1rIT  ,   •  i  •       •  ni 

recovery.  hmiselt.  Here  was  his  most  extravagant  prediction  :  "  r5y  the  year 
1900  the  new  Chicago  will  boast  a  population  of  1,000,000  souls." 
To-day  (1891)  the  city  contains  a  million  and  a  quarter. 

*  Charles  A.  Hewitt,  editor  of  the  Albany  "Argus,"  gives  the  following  whimsical  details  concerning  this 
great  sum :  "  Converted  into  $5  bills,  it  would  make  a  greenback  ribbon  from  Nev."  York  through  Chicago  to  Daven- 
prot,  Iowa;  or  a  legal  tender  blanket  of  thirty-eight  acres.  In  $i  bills  it  would  make  a  railroad  track  (two  rails) 
from  New  York  to  San  Francisco. 


THE   GREAT  FIRE. 


303 


Close  by  St.  James  Church  (corner  of  Cass  and  Huron  Streets)  stood  one  of  the  small 
wooden  houses  so  numerous  all  over  the  city,  but  particularly  on  the  North  Side.  It  was  undis- 
tinguished from  the  thousands  of  its  kind  ;  except  that  it  was  the  home  of  the  writer  hereof ;  its 
master  away  and  its  mistress  and  her  three  little  children  alone  and  unprotected.  The  mother 
was  wakened  shortly  after  midnight  by  the  roaring  wind  and  the  voices  of  people  talking  in  the 
street  ;  and  looking  out  saw  the  southern  sky  red  with  flame.  A  brother  living  near  by  tried  to 
calm  her  fears  by  ridiculing  the  idea  of  danger,  but  maternal  instinct  forced  her  to  arouse  and 
dress  the  children,  and  send  them  northward  in  his  carriage,  she  remaining  behind,  and  watch- 
ing the  ever-increasing  glare,  and  the  flight  of  sparks  borne  on  the  blast 

Another  friend  appeared  with  offers  of  help,  and  by  his  aid  she  got  her  own  pony-phaeton 
from  the  livery  stable  where  it  was  kept.  Meanwhile  she  was  packing  the  family  silver  and  a 
few  garments  into  a  bundle  tied  in  a  sheet  ;  these  she  put  on  the  phaeton  and  carried  northward 
(the  horse  restive  under  the  failing  sparks),  to  the  house  where  the  children  were  already  lodged 
in  temporary  safety.  Then  she  walked,  facing  the  blast  and  the  storm  of  sparks,  back  to  a  point 
whence  she  could  see  the  beloved  home,  but  not  reach  it.  All  itf  treasures  were  beyond  human 
help.  The  next  day  (Monday),  the  fire  in  its  course  was  unhurried,  as  it  was  traveling  across 
the  direction  of  the  wind  ;  but,  the  water  having  failed,  it  was  irresistible  as  ever.  At  about 


SHERMAN  HOUSE  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

•6  A.  M.  they  were  compelled  to  leave  the  refuge  of  the  night  before,  and  this  time  they  fled  far 
to  the  north,  into  the  part,  then  sparsely  peopled  and  covered  with  forest,  lying  quite  beyond 
Lincoln  Park  even  as  now  (1891)  extended. 

It  was  after  daylight  on  Tuesday  that  the  writer  arrived  at  Chicago,  still  unable  to  believe 
that  the  destruction  was  quite  so  frightful  as  rumor  had  made  it.  The  first  startling  and  sug- 
gestive indication  was  the  sight  of  scores  —  hundreds  —  of  people,  armed  with  pails,  pitchers, 
casks,  cans  and  even  barrels,  crossing  and  recrossing  the  Central  tracks,  dipping  water  from 
the  lake,  and  carrying  it  inland.  Then  the  water-works  were  really  destroyed  !  This  was  bring- 
ing it  near  home  !  The  train  came  no  further  than  Twenty-second  Street ;  where  began  a  memor- 
able walk.  At  first  nothing  strange  was  met  —  except  the  "bucket  brigade,"  and  the  occasional 
overhearing  of  trivial,  defiant,  jocular  allusions  to  the  fire,  uttered  by  men  drunk  either  with 
liquor  or  with  over-wrought  nerves.  Walking  northward  on  State  Street,  distant  ruins  began  to 
be  visible;  then,  just  as  the  last  surviving  structures  were  passed,  there  were  several  houses 
ruined  and  prostrate,  but  not  burned.  These  were  no  dcubt  those  which  were  blown  up  to  check 
the  spread  of  fire  southward,  for  beyond  them  all  was  chaos. 

State  Street  was  obstructed  with  street  car  rails  bent,  contorted,  displaced  by  the  heat, 
and  with  tangled  skeins  of  telegraph  wire  mixed  with  the  brands  of  burned  poles.  Perhaps  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  away  might  be  seen  a  building  or  two  which  seemed  to  have  escaped  the  destruc- 
tion ;  but,  on  approaching,  each  one  turned  out  to  be  only  an  empty  shell,  desolate  and  blackened. 


One  man's 

recollections. 


304 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


In  hundreds  of  cellars  the  coal-pile  was  still  slowly  burning  :  and,  by  the  way,  when  night  fell  these 
scattered,  lurid,   half-buried  flames  were  a  most  picturesque  feature  of  the  strange  landscape. 

It  was  a  fresh  Autumn  morning,  beautifully  clear ;  the  slanting  rays  of  the  sun  came  over 
the  lake,  and  silvered  the  calcined  walls  and   chimney-stacks  with  a  cruel  imitation  of  life,  gayety 

and  brilliance.  For  the  first  time  in  many  a 
year  the  eye  roamed  at  will  from  lake  to  river. 
The  masts  of  unburned  craft  in  the  South  Branch 
were  plainly  visible  ;  as  were  also  on  the  bosom 
of  the  lake  the  vessels  freshly  arrived,  bringing 
freight  and  passengers  to  the  city  which  was  no 
city.  If  Captain  Wells  could  now  have  looked 
from  the  roof  of  the  block  house  he  might  have 
thought  the  flat  waste  of  1812  to  have  been 
turned  into  a  magnificent  grave-yard. 

Not  many  people  were  visible;  and  those  met 
had  either  never  had  any  sensibilities  aroused, 
or  had  had  them  calloused  by  over-tension.  Not 
so  the  newcomer  from  outside  ;  no  hard-fought 
battle-field  could  have  been  more  dreadful  than 
this  vast  waste  of  the  products  of  human  labor 
and  life.  Every  fresh  vista  of  ruined  beauty, 
vanished  riches,  departed  glory,  was  a  fresh 
poignant,  tear-compelling  pang. 

It  is  not  true  that  streets  were  obliterated 
and    landmarks    destroyed.     Any    one  familiar 
How  the  streets  with   the  city  could  go  where   he   pleased  with   never  more  than    a   momentary  doubt  of  his  road, 
newly  arrived  Far  off  on  the  r'Kht  the  great  Illinois  Central  elevator  was  standing,  towering  like   a  huge  elephant 
Chicagoan.      above  the  intervening  ruins. 

Toward  the  west  arose  the  white  marble  walls  of  the  Postoffice  ;  only  its  blind,  glassless 
windows   and  its  roofless  upper  story  showing  that  it  was  a  mere  empty  shell.     A  fine  tall  arch 


RESIDENCE  OF  WM.  B.  OGDEN. 


Particular 
ruins. 


ST.  PAUL  UNIVERSALIST  CHURCH,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

of  pointed  gothic  was  remarkable  as  it  stood  like  a  gateway;  vacancy  behind  it.  It  was  the 
remains  of  the  entrance  to  the  Honore  Building  on  Dearborn  Street.  Further  in  the  same  direc- 
tion—  a  half-mile  away,  yet  perfectly  visible  from  State  Street  —  was  the  well-known  form  of  the 
Court-House  and  City  Hall.  All  these  passed,  by  threading  the  way  through  the  middle  of  streets 
still  quite  impassable  to  vehicles  of  any  kind,  the  La  Salle  Street  tunnel  was  reached.  This  being 
the  only  remaining  passage  way  between  the  South  Side  and  the  North,  was  already  well  filled 


THE   GREAT  FIRE. 


305 


with  walkers.     The  covered  part  was  in  darkness,  and  the  cry,  "  Keep  to  the  right,"  was  inces- 
santly repeated,  mingling  with  the  tread  of  innumerable  footsteps. 

Even  now  it  seemed  as  if  some  miracle 
must  have  saved  the  little  homestead;  but  emerg- 
ence from  the  tunnel,  showing  a  much  more  per- 
fect clearance  than  even  that  of  the  South  Side, 
showing  the  naked  tower  of  St.  James  Church 
standing  in  solitary  state,  visible  from  summit 
almost  to  base  —  this  brought  home  the  certainty 
of  homelessness  and  desolation.  The  tower 
being  a  guide  the  intervening  space  was  soon 
passed,  and  there  was  the  vacant  lot ;  there  near 
the  front  was  the  harp-shaped  iron  of  the  piano, 
with  a  jangle  of  tuneless  strings  ;  half-way  back 
lay  the  distorted  remains  of  the  heating-furnace; 
beyond  that  again  the  fragments  of  the  cooking- 
range,  and  this  was  all.  Not  quite  all  either,  for 
under  where  the  familiar  "hall-closet"  had  been, 
there  lay  three  blackened,  bared  and  twisted 
strips  of  steel  which  had  been  swords — one  Union 
and  two  rebel. 

No  shadow  of  doubt  had  been  felt  (or 
needed  to  be  felt)  as  to  the  safety  of  the  more 
precious  contents  of  the  home.  They  must  of 


course  be  sought  in  the  North.     So  Lincoln  Park 
was  the  next  objective  point.      In  passing  through  the  park  the  attention  was  repeatedly  drawn  to 
pitiful  little  heaps  of  ashes  with  spiral  bed-springs  and   other   scraps  of  iron  scattered  about  them 
Each  of  these  told  of  some  hurried  deposit  of  household  gear,  brought  thus  far  out  of  the  burning,  North  Side 
and  here  left  to  be  set  on  fire  by  the  flying  embers.  Desolation. 

Somewhere  along  there  a  country  visitor  made  his  appearance  driving  a  one-horse  wagon. 


ST.  JAMES  CHURCH  RUINS,  FROM  HURON  STREET. 

On  being  thereto  moved  he  named  the  moderate  sum  of  one  dollar  as  his  price  for  turning  round 
and  carrying  a  passenger  indefinitely  northward.  A  shorter  task  was  his,  however,  for  a  scant 
half-mile  showed  approaching  the  well-known  phaeton  and  pony.  "All  safe!"  "Of  course, 
with  you  to  care  for  them.  How  about  the  old  pictures?"  "All  gone!"  "Everything  else 
gone?"  "Everything,  but  silver  and  watches,  and  a  bundle  of  clothing."  "Well;  we'll  get 
some  more." — J.  K. 


Books  about 
the  Fire. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

A    NEW   STORY    OF    THE    FIRE. 

HE  first  book  published  about  the  Great 
Fire  was  by  Alfred  L.  Sewell.  After  that 
followed  volumes  enough  to  form  a  small 
library ;  those  of  Sheahan  and  Upton, 
of  Elias  Colbert,  of  Isaac  N.  Arnold, 
and  a  host  of  others.*  As  even  these 
careful  and  able  works,  written  at  the 
time  and  on  the  spot,  could  not  exhaust 
the  great  theme,  it  is  vain  to  try  to  do 
it  any  kind  of  justice  in  a  short  "  story" 
aimed  at  showing  the  before-and-after  as 
well  as  the  famous  event.  He  who  would 
gain  an  adequate  idea  of  it  may  read  any  of  the  works,  or  all  of  them, 
and  the  more  he  reads  the  more  nearly  he  will  come  to  a  real  conception 
of  the  scenes  and  incidents.  From  one  or  other  he  will  learn  of  the 

F 


SECOND  PRESBYTERIA  N  CHURCH,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

sufferings  of  those  who  took  to  the  lake  shore  for  refuge,  some  of  whom 
were  forced  into  the  waves  even  up  to  the  chin.      He  will  read  of  the 

•The  list  in  the  Chicago  Public  Library  is  as  follows:  "The  Doomed  City,"  "New  Chicago,"  "Relief  from 
Artists  of  Paris  and  Dresseldorf,"  "  Colbert  and  Chamberlain ;  Chicago  Fire,"  "  Goodspeed ;  Fires  in  Chicago  and 
the  Northwest;"  "Luzerne:  Chicago,  or  the  Fire-lost  City,"  "The  Ruined  City;"  "Sewell:  the  Great  Fire  of  1871:" 
"Sheahan  and  Upton:  Chicago  Conflagration;"  Strickland:  the  Chicago  Fire.  1871;"  Seeger  and  Schlaeger:  Chi- 
cago," and  bound  volumes  of  newspapers  relating  to  the  Chicago  tire. 

306 


A   NEW  STORY  OF    THE  FIRE. 


307 


bank-officer  who  saved  the  treasures  of  his  bank,  and  find  out  how  he 
did  it ;  of  those  who  passed  up  the  river  in  a  tug-boat  threading  its 
way  through  masses  of  floating  obstruction  and  between  walls  of  fire  ; 
of  the  terrible  experiences  of  the  sick  and  the  gruesome  fate  of  corpses 
awaiting  burial. 

In  a  previous  chapter  the  destruction  of  the  Public  Records 
was  mentioned,  and  the  existence  of  a  thread  of  testimony  which  if 
saved  might  mitigate  the  loss.  To  make  this  more  clear  it  is  neces- 
sary to  inform  those  who  do  not  already  know  the  fact  that  trans- 
fers of  real  estate  are,  in  this  country,  matters  of  public  record.  In 
each  county  a  "  Recorder"  is  appointed,  whose  business  it  is  to  copy, 


Fate  of  the 
County 
Records. 


CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

at  full  length,  in  a  book  or  books  provided  for  the  purpose,  every 
deed,  every  mortgage,  every  judgment,  and  every  release  of  mort- 
gage or  judgment.  It  is  the  duty  and  privilege  of  him  who  receives 
any  such  instrument  to  present  it  at  once  for  record  ;  and  from  that 
moment  the  original  instrument  is  almost  a  superfluity,  for  the  record 
of  it  answers  all  purposes  which  such  original  could  serve.  In  Eng- 
land, the  owner  of  property  which  he  wishes  to  sell  offers  to  the 
proposed  buyer  bundles  and  boxes  full  of  documents  showing  who 
has  owned  the  land  before  him,  from  time  immemorial ;  thus  estab- 
lishing the  chain  by  which  the  title  has  come  to  him.  The  exami- 
nation of  this  mass  of  wills,  deeds,  mortgages,  releases  and  what  not, 
makes  fine  pickings  for  attorneys,  but  it  also  makes  the  transfer  of 
land  very  awkward,  slow  and  expensive.  In  America  the  buyer  has 
his  recourse  to  the  title  as  shown  by  the  Public  Records,  which 
he  can  have  abbreviated  and  shown  in  one  convenient  document 


American 
Record 
System. 


308 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Maps  and  plats 
of  City  prop- 
erty. 


called  an  "  Abstract  of  Title,"  which  presents,  not  copies  in  full  of 
the  deeds,  etc.,  as  they  exist  on  the  Records,  but  a  brief  statement 
of  each,  showing  date,  page  of  record,  description  of  property,  names 
of  grantor  and  grantee,  witnesses,  consideration,  acknowledgment  and 
other  particulars.  The  original  documents  may  be,  and  usually  are, 
neglected,  scattered,  destroyed  or  otherwise  lost  sight  of ;  the  Record 
taking  their  place  for  all  practical  purposes.  The  great  ledgers  of 
items  accumulate  by  the  thousand  in  the  vaults  of  county  buildings. 
The  property  holder  feels  safe.  Whether  he  lives  or  dies  ;  there  is 
the  legal  proof  of  his  ownership,  safe  under  the  seal  of  law. 

The  public  records  included,  besides,  maps  or  plates  of  the  whole 
city,  showing  all  the  original  boundaries  and  also  the  additions,  sub- 


RUSH  MEDICAL  COLLEGE,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

divisions  and  re-subdivisions  —  sometimes  several  successive  cuttings 
up  of  the  same  land,  giving  new  lots,  blocks,  streets  and  alleys  to 
supersede  the  old  —  in  which  every  foot  of  ground  is  displayed,  and 
according  to  which  every  conveyance  is  made.  These  maps  and  plats 
were  copied  by  the  "  abstract  men,"  as  well  as  the  written  instruments, 
and  were  as  necessary  —  indispensable  — as  they,  to  the  integrity  of 
the  private  property  of  each  citizen. 

As  these  records  are  public ;  absolutely  open  to  every  citizen, 
high  or  low,  lawyer  or  layman,  property-owner  or  pauper ;  there  are 
a  host  of  industrious  scriveners  who  spend  their  time  in  making 
indexes  of  these  transfers,  and  preparing  the  "  abstracts  of  title " 
before  mentioned,  as  the  convenient  vouchers  of  ownership  to  accom- 
pany every  fresh  transfer. 


The  Abstract 
makers  anc 
their  work. 


A   NEW  STORY  OF   THE  FIRE. 


309. 


This  "  Abstract  Business,"  so-called,  had  been,  up  to  1871,  a  safe, 
laborious  and  reasonably  profitable 
calling ;  mainly  in  the  hands  of 
Chase  Brothers,  Shortall  &  Hoard, 
and  Jones  &  Sellers  ;  and  each  of 
these  firms  had  a  set  of  books,  more 
or  less  complete,  showing  indexes, 
lot-records  and  press  copies  of  ab- 
stracts given  out. 

On  the  morning  of  October  9, 
1871,  within  half  an  hour  after  the 
Court-House  bell  fell  (2.05),  every 
scrap  and  vestige  of  the  Public 
Records  of  Cook  County  vanished 
into  thin  air  and  ashes. 

What  next?  Suppose  one  to 
have  bought  a  lot,  paid  for  it,  built 
a  house  on  it  and  seen  it  burn,  with 
the  deed  which  showed  his  owner- 
ship ;  how  is  he  to  make  good  his 
claim  ?  Suppose  another  to  have  FERNANDO  JONES. 

sold  a  lot,  but  not  got  the  pay  for  it  in  full ;   how  is  he  to  prove  his 

lien  ?  Suppose  a  third  to  have  lent 
money  on  mortgage,  how  is  he  to 
collect  his  debt  ?  Suppose  a  fourth 
to  have  borrowed  money  on  mort- 
gage, and  afterward  repaid  it  wholly 
or  in  part ;  how  is  he  to  show  his 
credit?  How  are  pending  suits 
concerning  disputed  titles  to  be 
settled,  now  that  Court  Records 
and  County  Records  are  alike  lost? 
The  "  abstract- men  "  natur- 
ally had  their  offices,  their  indexes 
and  their  lot-books  all  in  the  im- 
mediate neighborhood  of  the 
Court-House  and  the  records  which 
formed  the  basis  of  their  work;  and 
S.J.HAYES.  there  was  not  an  hour's  difference 

between  the  burning  of  the  first  and  the  last  of  them.  If  there  was 
a  thread  or  shred  of  evidence  preserved  by  them  to  avert  the  unspeak- 
able disaster  which  seemed  to  have  overtaken  all  property -holders, 


The  real-estate 
dilemma. 


3io 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


A  clue  to  the 
labyrinth. 


from  the  cottager  to  the  millionaire,  it  was  worth  an  incalculable  sum. 
"Its  weight  in  gold"  is  an  absurdly  inadequate  standard  of  value  for 
the  occasion. 

Happily,  the  golden  thread,  the  clew  to  the  labyrinth,  was  safe  ;  and 
to  show  just  how  it  chanced  to  survive,  and  at  the  same  time  to  give  a 
fresh  and  hitherto  unwritten  account  of  the  events  of  that  momentous 
night,  we  are  favored  with  a  narrative  drawn  from  the  excellent 
memory  of  John  G.  Shortall ;  a  chief  actor  in  the  episode  by  which 
his  firm's  part  of  the  precious  documents  were  preserved.  They  were 
almost  unharmed,  and  to  this  day  (1891)  they  remain  in  the  abstract 
office  (now  Handy,  Simmons  &  Company),  as  precious  muniments  to 
show  the  origin  of  land-titles,  as  well  as  an  interesting  memento  of 
a  terrible  night's  work  : 


all's 
a  night. 


FIELD  &  LEITER'S  STORE,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

I  went  to  church  Sunday  night  as  usual;  while  we  were  walking  home — Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hibbard  and  Mrs.  Shortall  and  I  —  Mr.  Hibbard  said  to  me:  "You  should  have  seen  that  lire 
last  night ;  it  was  an  amazing  spectacle  ;  the  flames  were  fiercer,  rose  higher  than  I  had  ever  seen 
John  G.  Short*  before,"  and  he  gave  me  a  very  vivid  description  of  it.  Naturally,  inasmuch  as  it  had  occurred, 
I  regretted  that  I  had  not  seen  it.  My  interest  was  much  excited  by  his  description. 

About  half-past  nine  o'clock,  as  we  were  retiring,  passing  a  north  window,  I  noticed  the 
reflection  in  the  sky  of  another  great  fire  ;  I  thought  at  first  it  was  that  which  remained  of  the 
fire  of  the  night  before,  but  soon  saw  that  it  was  too  far  south  for  that ;  I  stood  there  a  few 
moments,  and  presently  concluded  —  doubtless  impressed  by  Mr.  Hibbard's  description  of  an 
hour  before  —  that  I  would  go  out  and  see  it  —  "run  to  a  fire" — something  I  had  not  done  for 
ten  years  or  more.  Just  as  I  was,  with  a  velveteen  house-coat  I  had  on,  I  put  on  my  hat 
and  started. 

I  followed  the  crowd  down  Michigan  Avenue  and  across  Harrison  Street  bridge,  and  then 
turned  again  southward,  until  I  came  close  to,  but  still  northward  and  eastward  of  the  fire.  It 
was  even  then  an  awful  exhibition  of  the  fury  of  flame  uncontrolled.  I  retired  before  it,  as  it 
moved  from  house  to  house,  continually  spreading,  and  a  great  stillness  was  upon  the  crowds 
who  had  gathered;  nothing  was  audible  but  the  roar* of  the  flame  and  the  crackling  of  the  tim- 
bers and  sheathing  of  the  houses.  At  that  time  I  perceived  one  house,  it  must  have  been  fifty 


A   NEW  STORY  OF    THE  FIRE. 


feet  by  seventy  feet,  two  high  stories,   with  a  sort  of  an  attic  —  a  very  fine  house,  one  of  the 

best  of  those  days  —  and  as   I  remember  near  if  not  upon   Harrison  Street.     From  curiosity,   I 

timed  the  burning  of  that  house  from  the  moment  the  cornice  began  to  smoke,  for  it  took  fire 

from  the  top,   until   there  was  not  a  particle  of  the  woodwork  of  the   structure  left,  and   it  was 

all   woodwork  except  the  foundation;   it  took  — it  seems  scarcely  credible  —  just  eight  minutes  pateofan  at 

to  burn  ;  just  eight   minutes  until   there   was  nothing  left   but  a  heap  of  ashes.*     The  wind  was     landmark. 

high,   very  high,  from   the  southwest.     I  went  along  with  the  crowd,  retreating  before  the  fire, 

burning  clapboards  and  smaller  stuff  carried  high  over  our  heads,  or  falling  about  us,  the  air 

being  filled  with  the  glowing  particles  that  were  carried  on  the  wind,  now  risen  to  a  heavy  gale. 

The  heat  was  dreadful  ;  the  heat  of  both  air  and  fire. 

By  the  time  we  reached  Van  Buren  Street  bridge,  or  near  it,  the  whole  air  was  filled,  as 
1  have  said,  with  the  movable  burning  embers,  and  with  hundreds  —  thousands  —  of  larger  pieces 
of  burning  material  that  had  been  wrenched  away  by  the  wind,  ami  were  being  hurled  along 
through  space,  northeasterly,  toward  our  office,  a  mile  away.  I  perceived  here  in  the  crowd,  Mr. 
B.  F.  Hadduck,  an  old  friend  and  client  of  ours,  as  we  were  struggling  across  Van  Buren  Street 
bridge,  and  I  said  to  him  (he  was  the  only  one  with  whom  I  spoke  that  night  until  I  arrived 
at  my  office):  "  I  am  afraid  that  these  embers,  driven  by  the  wind,  will  set  fire  to  the  roofs  or 
curtains  or  screens  in  front  of  our  buildings  down  town,  and  those  buildings  will  be  set  on  fire." 


LAKE  STREET  FROM  MICHIGAN'  AVE.,  BEFORE  AND 


THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 


He  did  not  think  it   possible,   but   I   made  up  my  mind  that  our  office  building  was  in  danger 
from  that  cause.     The  great  projecting  cornices  that  were  in  those  days  all  woodwork,  the  casings  F 
about  the  windows,  and  the  window  screens  or  awnings,  would  be  easily  set  on  fire,  and  when 
any  of  these  should  catch,  anything  —  everything  —  might  be  apprehended;  so  I  started  for  the 
office,  resolved  to  cut  down  our  awnings. 

Our  office  —  of  Shortall  &  Hoard,  Conveyancers  —  was  in  the  building  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  Washington  Street  and  Clark  Street,  directly  opposite  the  Court-House  and  County 
Record  office.  I  tried  to  find  the  janitor,  but  failed.  It  was  as  quiet  as  the  grave  there  at  that 
time.  I  broke  open  the  office  door  and  got  inside,  and  began  to  cut  down  the  awnings  upon 
which  the  embers  were  already  falling,  and  the  fire  was  approaching  rapidly.  At  this  time  a 
very  curious  thing  occurred  ;  a  sudden  jet  of  flame  appeared  to  rise,  as  I  judged,  about  Lake 
Street,  near  La  Salle  Sireet,  a  sudden  bursting  out  of  flame,  out  of  the  darkness  of  the  night  — 
and  I  thought  something  had  been  set  on  fire  by  those  flying  embers,  as  I  had  expected.  I  did 
not  have  time  to  watch  its  development— I  was  too  busy  with  my  own  affairs. 

But  to  resume;  I  got  our  awnings  cut  down,  and  they  fell  to  the  ground,  but  I  found  the 

work  done  of  no  value,  for  all  the  front  windows  of  the  building  being  supplied  with  awnings, 

the  removal  of  our  half-dozen  was  useless.     I  tried  again  to  find  the  janitor  to  help   me,  but 

again  failed.     Then  I  gave  up  the  thought  of  saving  the  building,  and  made  up  my  mind  that 

*  This  was  the  old  "  Caton  house  in  the  prairie,"  mentioned  back  in  "  the  thirties." 


irst  appre- 
hension of 
the  coming 
catastrophe. 


JT2 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  fugitive 
crowd. 


I  would  get  a  truck,  and  get  out  our  books,  if  I  could.  The  street  was  now  filled  with  streams 
of  people  ;  all  sorts  of  vehicles,  trucks,  wagons,  were  flying  by  us,  all  going  northward  ;  it  seemed 
that  everybody  was  driving  northward,  or  being  driven,  by  the  fire  behind  them. 

It  did  not  seem  possible  even  then  that  the  fire  could  cross  the  riiiti — the  South  Branch, 
half-a-mile  away  —  it  could  not  be,  unless  it  should  have  leaped,  and  fallen  so,  by  the  mode  I 
have  suggested,  that  is,  by  the  setting  fire  to  awnings  or  cornices  by  the  dropping  embers.  I 
stood  down  on  the  street  in  front  of  our  door,  and  I  engaged,  I  am  sure,  fifteen  trucks  —  stopped 
them  as  they  were  (Tying  northward,  filled  with  all  sons  of  household  stuff,  beds  and  bureaus, 
chairs,  clothing,  people  even,  the  old  and  helpless.  I  engaged  them  one  by  one  to  come  back  to 
me  ;  not  one  of  them  returned.  I  offered  them  any  price  they  demanded.  The  fact  was  they 
were  largely  taken  forcible  possession  of  by  people  who  were  in  diie  distress,  who  insisted  that 
they  should  carry  their  goods  and  little  things  to  a  place  of  safety. 

By  this  time  I  became  convinced  that  I  must  act  at  once,  and  that  it  was  rather  danger- 
ous to  risk  the  return  of  any  of  those  truck-men  ;  when  my  friend  Mr.  J.  Young  Scammon  rode 
by  on  a  horse,  and  I  said  to  him  :  "  Mr.  Scammon,  I  am  afraid  we  are  all  going  to  burn  up." 
(At  this  time,  I  may  say  that  several  of  the  old  clerks  employed  in  our  office,  were  gathering 
about  the  entrance  to  the  office  —  all  faithful  friends  —  ready  to  help  in  the  endeavor  to  save  our 


PORTLAND  BLOCK,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

Records,  a  great  mass  of  heavy  volumes  in  which  were  entered  all  matters  pertaining  to  our 
land  titles,  and  from  which  we  make  our  digests  or  abstracts).  Mr.  Scammon  said  :  "  Why, 
Shortall,  you  have  no  idea  that  the  fire  will  get  as  far  as  this?"  I  said:  "I  am  very  much 
afraid  it  will,  Mr.  Scammon,  and  I  wish  you  would  do  me  the  favor  to  ride  over  to  Parmelee's 
stables,  and  ask  him  to  send  me  a  couple  of  his  largest  wagons."  "Oh,"  said  he,  ''  I  think 
you  are  mistaken,  but  I  will  give  you  the  horse  if  you  wish,  and  you  ride  over."  It  was  kind 
of  him,  but  I  said  I  did  not  dare  to  leave  my  office,  hoping  some  of  the  trucks  would  return. 
Lucky  failure  and  possibly  our  little  force  would  scatter  in  my  absence,  so  I  waited.  At  one  time  during 
meant'effort.  tnese  moments,  that  seemed  as  years,  a  most  providential  thing  occurred,  well  worth  consider- 
ing. I  tried  to  get  into  the  Court- House  at  its  eastern  door — with  the  intention  of  carrying  our 
books  in  for  safety,  never  dreaming  of  the  possibility  of  its  destruction  —  a  large  stone  building, 
isolated  as  it  was.  I  found  that  east  door  locked,  and  I  could  not  get  the  key.  Had  I  found 
it  all  our  books  would  have  shared  the  fate  of  the  Public  Records  they  duplicated. 

Just  then  Mr.  James  W.  Nye,  who  was  in  the  hardware  house  of  Hibbard  &  Spencer- 
came  up  and  said:  "Mr.  Shortall,  what  are  you  going  to  do?  Are  you  going  to  get  youi 
books  out?"  "I  want  to,"  I  said;  "that  is  what  I  am  here  for,  and  we  must  have  a  truck, 
or  we  are  all  lost."  He  said,  "  You  stand  here  on  Clark  Street,  and  I  will  go  around  the  corner 
on  Washington  Street,  and  we  will  hire  or  take  the  first  man  with  a  wagon  who  passes  by."  That 
was  practical  and  timely  help.  I  waited  there,  and  Mr.  Nye  went  around  on  Washington  Street. 
In  a  few  minutes  he  called  to  m».  I  hastened  to  him.  and  found  him  holding  an  expressman's 


A   NEW  STORY  OF   THE  FIRE. 


313 


horse  by  the  bit,  while  the  driver  was  mad  all  through,  as  was  natural,  but  useless  under  the 
pressure.  I  soon  had  the  horse's  head  myself;  and  the  driver  being  now  under  some  subjection. 
I  released  Mr.  Nye,  with  much  gratitude,  from  his  position.  Before  going  he  handed  me  a  revol- 
ver he  had  in  his  pocket,  and  said  I  might  want  to  use  it.  I  told  the  man  there  was  no  use  in 
his  struggling  ;  we  should  hold  the  horse  and  wagon  ;  would  release  him  if  he  desired,  but  the 
horse  and  wagon  we  must  have. 

So  I  backed  the  horse  up  to  the  side  entrance  of  the  building  on  Washington  Street.  As 
soon  as  our  clerks  saw  this,  they  began  to  bring  down  the  books  from  the  office,  and  soon  the 
wagon,  which  was  a  small  one  and  weak,  was  as  full  as  it  could  be,  and  yet  not  one  fifth  of  the 
books  we  desired  to  save  were  down.  It  was  a  trying  moment. 

Just  then  our  friend,  Mr.  John  L.  Stockton,  came  up  with  a  double-team  large  truck  ;  I  did 
not  know  him,  he  was  so  black  and  grimy  with  smoke,  cinders  and  dust.  He  said:  "John,  this 
is  what  you  want ;  I  have  been  trying  to  find  one  of  our  teams  for  you  for  the  last  hour." 
Curiously,  as  I  afterward  found,  this  was  one  of  the  men  I  engaged  hours  before  to  come  back 
to  me  —  but  the  Messrs.  Stockton  had  given  instructions  to  these  men  —  all  of  them  (they  were 
in  the  transportation  business),  to  go  out  with  their  teams  and  save  and  help  everybody  they 
could.  This  was  a  team  and  truck  he  had  at  last  found,  and  brought  around  to  us;  of  course  it 


Stocktons  to 
the  rescue. 


ARMOUR'S  BLOCK,  BEFORE  AND   AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

took  but  a  few  moments  to  unload  the  wagon,  and  get  the  books  piled  up  snugly  and  carefully 
on  the  new  god-send,  as  I  deemed  it.  I  gave  the  expressman  $5  for  his  five  minutes  —  that  was 
about  the  time  he  was  in  our  possession  —  and  dismissed  him  with  thanks. 

It  was  now  about  1.30  A.  M.  or  2  o'clock.  At  that  time  the  air  was  fu'l  of  the  fire,  sweep 
ing  toward  and  all  about  us,  and  of  cinders,  that  fell  on  the  books,  as  I  stood  on  the  truck 
stowing  them  snugly,  and  on  horses  and  driver;  it  was  a  perfect  rain  of  fire.  No  description  is 
adequate,  and  yet  so  wrought  up  was  I  that  I  did  not  feel  it,  barely  was  conscious  of  it,  while  I 
brushed  the  burning  cinders  off  the  books,  and  occasionally  shook  myself,  to  keep  free.  We 
then  continued  bringing  the  books  down  from  the  office,  and  the  various  port-folios  and  material, 
and  so  with  my  aides  I  got  everything  out  except  a  lot  of  the  labor  saving  memoranda  that  we  had 
made  in  all  the  years  preceding.  But  the  books  or  records  themselves  were  all  on  the  truck 
and  piled  up  high  upon  it,  as  you  may  guess. 

A  serious  difficulty  occurred  when  it  was  reported  that  General  Sheridan  and  some  of  his 
soldiers  were  down  there,  at  the  corner  diagonally  opposite  us,  about  Smith  &  Nixon's  building 
{where  the  Opera  House  Block  is  now) — to  blow  up  the  building,  to  stop  the  fire  if  possible.  That 
was  a  fact  that  filled  the  driver  of  our  truck  with  alarm, and  he  said  he'd  be  damned  if  he  would  con- 
sent to  be  blown  up  for  all  the  people  in  the  city;  and  I  threatened  him,  but  did  not  blame  him. 
There  was  no  cessation  of  our  work,  whatever  danger  might  impend.  The  men  kept  steadily  on 
carrying  the  books  down:  but  the  driver  would  start  up  his  horses  every  little  minute,  and  when  I 


Books  on  the 
truck  and  rain 
of  fire  on  the 
books. 


3'4 


THE  STORY    OF  CHICAGO. 


threatened,  and  in  earnest,  too,  would  stop,  and  then  start  and  stop  again,  and  so  on  through  that 
dreadful  time,  until  the  last  load  of  books  that  came  out  of  the  office — and  they  came  out  only  when 
the  fire  was  coming  up  through  the  floor  of  the  office,  from  Buck  &  Rayner's  drug  store  under- 
neath —  were  placed  on  our  wagon  a  block  away  from  the  door,  to  which  point  we  had  thus 
nervously,  spasmodically,  come. 

During  that  last  hour,  the  Court-house,  with  all  its  contents,  was  burned  down,  and  the  great 
bell  came  down,  down  through  the  floor  of  the  belfry,  and  on  down,  crashing  through  one  floor 
after  another  to  the  bottom ;  and  fell  within  a  few  hundred  feet  of  me,  and  I  never  heard  it,  the  roar  of 
The  peat  bell  the  fire  was  so  awful,  and  the  hoarse  noise  of  the  frightened,  panic-stricken  crowd  so  great,  to  which 
'  was  added  my  own  great  stress,  so  that  the  first  I  knew  of  it  was  when  other  people  spoke  of  the 
great  crash  afterwards. 

Then  we  started,  all  being  safely  stowed  on  the  truck.  There  were  two  prisoners  who  had  been 
allowed  to  escape  from  the  jail  (then  in  the  Court-house)  and  I  had  one  of  these  two  on  each  side  of 
my  overladen  truck,  to  hold  the  books  on.  I  formed  the  apex  of  the  group,  with  my  pistol,  cocked 
still,  in  my  pocket,  and  directed  the  truck  man  to  drive  forward  through  the  rain  of  fire  so  as  soon 
as  possible,  to  get  to  windward  of  it ;  and  we  worked  to  eastward,  and  southward,  through 
the  dense  crowds  of  people  who  were  fleeing  toward  the  north,  until  we  got  finally  through  the  fire 


falli 


Help  of  the 
jail-birds. 


Back  again  tc 
the  fire. 


COURT  HOUSE,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

and  brought  our  precious  books  down  to  my  house  and  gratefully  stowed  them  away  there  in  safety 
— in  safety  if  the  wind  should  continue  southwest,  and  not  change,  of  which  there  was  much  and 
natural  fear. 

When  we  arrived  at  home,  my  jail  birds,  the  truckman  and  I  carried  the  books  in,  piling 
them  up  in  the  hall,  library  and  parlor — got  them  in  any  way.  There  must  have  been  two  hundred 
record  volumes — and  this  I  may  say,  in  parenthesis,  that  it  took  three  trucks  to  carry  those  books 
back  again,  to  where  they  were  lodged  after  the  fire,  when  we  built  our  vault  for  them  in  a  basement 
on  Wabash  Avenue.  We  lost  nothing  from  the  truck  in  that  savage  passage  of  wind  and  fire  and 
insanity. 

What  streets  did  we  take?  We  went  down  Washington  Street  to  State  Street,  along  State  to 
Madison,  along  Madison  to  Wabash  Avenue,  Wabash  Avenue  to  Adams  Street,  I  think,  and  then 
over  to  Michigan  Avenue — Michigan  Avenue  was  full  of  moving,  fleeing  people,  bent  on  reaching 
the  lake  shore  with  their  goods  and  lives;  the  buildings  were  there  yet  untouched  by  the  fire;  it  had 
not  yet  worked  so  far  eastward. 

When  I  had  gotten  my  books  safely  housed,  I  left  them  to  return  to  the  fire  to  help  other 
friends — Hibbard  &  Spencer  and  others.  When  I  returned,  the  fire  was  destroying  the  west  side 
of  State  Street;  it  had  gotten  thus  far. 

While  I  was  at  the  office,  between  i  and  2  o'clock  in  the  morning,  Mr.  Hoard,  my  associate, 
came  to  the  house  to  find  me,  and  Mrs.  Shortall  told  him  that  I  had  been  gone  since  9:30  o'clock. 


A   NEW  STORY  OF   THE  FIRE. 


3'5 


He  said  to  my  wife:  "  We  are  all  ruined;  our  office  is  gone,  the  whole  city  is  on  fire;  " — and  went 
on  down  town.  While  he  was  down  town,  I  had  carried  the  books  up  to  the  house,  and,  as  I  said, 
returned  to  the  fire  to  help  my  friends  who  were  in  the  same  agony  of  mind  I  had  passed  through, 
and  I  did  work,  with  them,  until  morning. 

Hoard  went  from  my  house  down  town,  as  I  said,  and  returned  in  a  couple  of  hours — about 
3.30  A.  M.,  to  my  house — I  having  come  home  and  gone  again.  He  said,  again:  "We  are  all 
ruined  " — appearing  to  be  entirely  broken  down — "  I  have  been  down  town,  and  can  not  get  within 
three  blocks  of  the  office,  everything  is  destroyed — gone  utterly."  As  he  was  turning  to  go  away, 
Mrs.  Shortall  said,  "  Mr.  Hoard,  won't  you  step  inside?"  And  when  he  saw  the  library  in  the  house, 
he  threw  up  his  hands,  and  said:  "  My  God,  who  has  clone  this?"  He  was  completely  unnerved, 
as  I  said.  I  speak  of  this  to  show  how  little  one  could  have  done  had  he  not  followed  the  progress 
of  the  destruction  as  I  did. 

I  went  back  again  to  help  my  neighbors,  as  I  might  be  able  to  do,  and  did  what  I  could.  One  Exasperating 
incident  will  show  the  thoughtlessness  of  eome 
men:  Hibbard  &  Spencer  attempted  to  save  a 
lot  of  their  fine  cutlery,  and,  after  great  effort, 
got  it  carted  over  to  that  vacant  space  of  ground, 
east  from  the  avenue  —  the  north  end  of  the 
ground  between  Michigan  Avenue  and  the  lake 
— and  we  all  worked  hard  to  cover  it  up  with 
sheet-iron  and  zinc  plates  to  make  it  reasonably 
fireproof  Just  as  we  had  gotten  it  perfectly 
packed  and  secure,  as  we  thought,  some  one 
came  along  with  a  great  truck-load  of  boxes  of 
tea,  and  the  truck  man  insisted  on  unloading  it 
in  front  of,  and  to  windward  of  this  valuable  cut- 
lery. We  all  expostulated,  pleaded  with  him: 
We  said:  "  Please  do  not  put  it  down  there,  it 
is  so  inflammable;  "  but  in  spite  of  anything  we 
could  do,  he  persisted,  and  unloaded  it  there;  it 
was  not  half  an  hour  before  the  flames  had  fallen 
upon  the  tea,  and  not  only  it,  but  all  our  fine  cut- 
lery was  destroyed.  Fancy  that  heat! 

Worn  out,  and  on  my  way   home,   I  sat 
down  for  a  moment  on  the  Western  News  Com- 
pany's front  doorstep  on  State  Street  —  John  R. 
Walsh  then  had  his  news   store  where  Mandel 
Brothers  are  now — and  there  it  was,  that,  for  the 
first  time.  I  lost  my  nerve.     Sitting  there,  I  saw 
the  walls  of  the  building  just  south  of  the  First 
National  Bank  building  on  the  corner  of  Wash- 
ington and  State  Streets  crumble,  as  the   fire  swept  through  the  buildings  from  the  West.     The 
destructibility  of  all  material,  the  instability  of  all  substance,  even  the  most  impervious,  shocked  px^austed 
me.     I  saw  those  walls  crumble  with  the  heat,  they  seemed  to  melt,  slowly,  steadily;  one  could  see     nature  breaks 
them  moving  in  the  process  of  disintegration,  and  presently  sink  helplessly  down.     I  cried  like  a 
child,  and  it  was  some  time  before  I  recovered  myself  sufficiently  to  go  home. 

Tuesday  afternoon  at  Madison  Street,  standing  on  a  slight  elevation,  say  the  height  of  an 
omnibus,  one  could  see  the  trees  in  Lincoln  Park,  two  and  a  half  miles  away,  with  everything  in  the 
intervening  space  utterly  destroyed.  That  was  slightly  illustrative  of  the  superficial  extent  of  the 
destruction.  JOHN  G.  SHORTALL. 

CHICAGO,  July,  1891. 

Such  is  the  thrilling  story;  interesting  as  a  mere  narrative  of  struggle 
with  and  victory  over  adverse  future,  doubly  interesting  by  reason  of 
the  magnitude  of  the  interests  at  stake.  True,  these  were  only  the 
archives  of  one  of  the  three  "  Abstract  Firms,"  but  their  loss  would  not 
only  have  ruined  the  owners — scattered  to  the  winds  the  product  of  all 
the  myriad  hours  of  human  labor  with  mind  and  pen,  that  had  been 


JOHN  G.  SHORTALL. 


3*6 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  loss 
averted. 


savings. 


Chain  i-  for 
extortion. 


spent  in  creating  these  records — but  would  have  left  a  disastrous  blank 
in  the  "  chains  of  title  "  of  thousands  of  pieces  of  property:  And  in  law, 
as  well  as  in  mechanics,  a  chain  is  only  as  strong  as  its  weakest  link. 

The  other  abstract  firms  (Chase  Brothers  and  Jones  &  Sellers)  had 
somewhat  different  experiences.  They  carried  away  some  things,  saved 
some  in  fire-proof  safes,  and  left  some  to  burn;  for  they  were  all  literally 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  each  other,  and  burned  practically  at  the  same 
moment. 

It  curiously  happened  that,  though  the  portion  of  records  saved  by- 
each  abstract  firm  was  only  a  portion,  yet  the  part  lost  by  each  was 
saved  by  another,  so  that  when  combined  the  fragments  made  a  total 
whole  and  entire,  lacking  nothing  in  continuity  or  completeness.  Chase 
Brothers  lost  many  of  their  press  copies  of  abstracts  given  out,  but  saved 


ST.  JAMES  CHURCH,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

Tract  indexes,  Judgment  dockets,  Tax  sales,  and  some  volumes  of  their 
"Original  entries."  Shortall  &  Hoard  lost  their  record  of  Original 
Entries,  but  saved  Tract  indexes,  Judgment  dockets,  Tax  sales,  and 
some  volumes  of  their  Original  entries.  Jones  &  Sellers  saved  all 
their  Original  entries  and  letter-press  copies  of  abstracts  given  out. 

So  the  past  history  of  all  Chicago  real  estate  (and  its  future  fate, 
one  might  almost  say)  was  in  the  hands  of  six  men,  their  private  prop- 
erty, to  do  with  as  they  pleased.  They  could  destroy  it  without  break- 
ing any  law.  They  could  keep  it  to  themselves,  using  their  private 
knowledge  to  unsettle  titles,  and  take  advantage  of  confusion  and  dis- 
turbance to  convert  property  to  their  own  use.  They  might  make 
their  ownership  the  means  of  immense  extortion,  of  incalculable  gain  to 
themselves  and  their  heirs  and  successors  forever.  Who  so  rich  as  he 


A   NEW  STORY  OF    THE  FIRE. 


317 


who  holds  his  fellows  at  his  mercy  and  treats  them  without  mercy  ?* 
A  third  course  was  open  to  them  ;  to  use  their  precious  records  for 
the  benefit  of  the  public,  charging  a  reasonable  price  for  reasonable  ser- 
vice. The  last  was  the  course  pursued  ;  and  the  abstract  business  of  the 
three  firms,  combined  into  one  vast  establishment,  is  to-day  what  it  was 
before  the  fire,  laborious,  intricate,  well  done,  prosperous  and  reason- 
ably profitable ;  its  owners  not  the  poorest  men  in  the  community,  and 
very  far  indeed  from  being  the  richest. 

Such  a  course  of  conduct  places  these  men  in  the  list  of  Chicago's 
worthies  ;  a  long  list,  and  yet  one  where  there  is  always  room.  In  1673 
and  1683  LaSalle  and  Marquette  toiled,  and  died  for  an  idea.  In  1812 
William  Wells  rode  out  to  almost  certain  death  in  the  effort  to  save  the 
helpless  whites  from  the  ruthless  red  men.  In  1835  George  W.  Dole 


Honorable 
conduct. 


BOOKSELLERS'  ROW,  BEFORE    AXD  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

refused  to  trade  upon  the   necessities  of  the    hungry,  or  even  to  let 
others  do  so.    In  1861  thousands  of  citizens  threw  life  and  fortune  into 

*  Evil-disposed  persons  tried,  in  the  days  that  followed,  to  lure  them  into  such  schemes.  Over  and  over  they  were 
approached  by  sharpers  anxious  to  pry  into  weak  titles,  in  order  to  trouble  innocent  holders  and  get  their  holdings  away 
from  them  or  levy  "  blackmail "  on  them  ;  but  no :  "  What  interest  have  you  in  the  property  in  question  ?  "  was  asked  : 
and  where  the  answer  was  not  satisfactory,  the  precious  books  remained  sealed  to  the  knavish  schemer. 

The  following  letter,  additional  to  the  narrative  furnished  by  Mr.  Shortall,  will  speak  for  itself,  and  is  printed  as 
corroborative  of  the  opinions  above  expressed  : 

.  .  "After  the  fire  it  became  necessary  to  reinstate,  so  far  as  practicable,  the  pending  cases  and  dockets  of  the 
various  Courts,  as  well  as  the  plats  of  Sub-divisions,  in  order  that  the  business  of  the  Courts  and  the  work  of  the  tax 
collector's  office  might  proceed  with  the  least  injury  to  the  public  interest-  the  whole  Public  Records,  of  that  character, 
as  of  its  deeds,  mortgages,  etc.,  having  been  entirely  swept  away  by  the  Fire  This  information  was  promptly  and  freely 
given  to  the  public  by  our  firms,  whenever  and  wherever  requested  by  the  authorities,  without  any  charge  being  made 
by  us.  The  Surveyors  of  the  city  were  also  allowed  free  and  generous  access  to  our  maps,  for  information  for  the  public 
interest.  The  well-known  atlases  compiled  by  Greeley  and  Carlsen  were  so  compiled  by  them,  for  the  most  part,  from 
our  original  maps  and  tracings,  without  any  charge  by  us,  upon  the  theory  that  we  were  thus  serving  the  public— replac- 
ing and  making  accessible,  in  so  much,  the  fundamental  portions  of  the  Public  records. 

"  Our  officers  al  ways  stood  between  the  assaulter  of  titles— professional  or  otherwise— and  the  owners  of  property, 
in  protection  of  the  latter's  interest.  Information  has  invariably  been  refused,  although  continuously  sought  for,  and  at 
any  price,  that  would  endanger  property  interests  or  serve  to  disturb  the  bona  fide  holders  of  Chicago  real  (state.  .  . 

JOHN  G.  SHORTALL." 


3*8 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Chicago 
worthies. 


the  scale  of  patriotic  duty.  In  1871  Joseph  Stockton  (one  of  the  wounded 
veterans  of  1861),  and  his  brother  and  partner,  John  Stockton,  when  in 
possession  of  a  small  army  of  teams  and  trucks,  which  might  have  been 
farmed  out  at  $  1,000  an  hour,  simply  sent  them  forth  with  orders  to  give 
all  the  help  they  could  to  whomsoever  might  be  most  in  need.  (They 
themselves  were  already  "burned  out,"  and  heavy  losers.)  And  to  this 
list  of  model  citizens,  arising  in  time  of  trial,  tried  and  not  found  want- 
ing, should  be  added  the  names  of  the  Abstract-men  of  1872. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  the  only  building  in  the  track  of  the 
fire  which  escaped  destruction  was  the  wooden  house  of  Mahlon  D. 
Ogden,  which  stood  at  about  the  center  of  the  North  Division  (North 
Clark  Street  and  Walton  Place).  This  is  a  mistake,  as  it  loses  sight  of 
the  great  Sturges&  Buckingham  "  Elevator  B"  (also  of  wood)  in  the 


HISTORICAL  SOCIETY,  COR.  CLARK  AND  INDIANA  ST.,  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

Illinois  Central  freight  grounds,  at  the  junction  of  Chicago  river  and 
Lake  Michigan.  The  story  of  the  saving  of  this  important  structure  is 
worth  recording,  but  seems  to  have  remained  untold.  Mr.  Ebenezer 
Buckingham  relates  it  as  it  was  burned  in  upon  his  memory  at  the  time. 
Putting  this  with  the  recollections  of  Joseph  F.  Tucker,  general  freight 
agent  of  the  Illinois  Central  road,  the  following  facts  appear: 

Toward  morning  of  Monday,  Mr.  Tucker  became  convinced  that 
the  fire  must  reach  the  Illinois  Central  and  Michigan  Central  grounds, 
full  as  they  were  of  buildings,  trains  and  goods.  He  went  down  to  the 
machine  shops  at  Twelfth  Street,  where  the  engines  were  stored  and 
where  S.  J.  Hayes,  master  of  machinery,  lived,  and  with  loud  knocking 
and  calls  awoke  Mr.  Hayes  and  told  him  that  the  yards  must  be  cleared. 
In  a  short  time  Mr.  Hayes  had  a  great  force  of  engines  fired  up,  manned 


A   NEW  STORY  OF    THE  FIRE. 


319 


and  started,  and  as  fast  as  cars  could  be  coupled  they  were  sent  down 
the  road  ;  some  of  them  switched  out  as  far  as  Calumet,  fourteen  miles 
away.  All  the  cars  were  saved,  with  whatever  of  value  they  contained  ; 
but  the  buildings,  with  all  goods,  wares,  merchandise  and  baggage 
stored  in  them,  were  perforce  left  to  their  fate 

Among  the  articles  in  the  freight-yard  were  two  steam  fire-engines 
shipped  on  a  flat  car  from  the  "  Fishhill  Manufacturing  Co."  to  Chicago 
for  forwarding,  one  to  Racine,  Illinois,  and  one  to  Manistee,  Michigan. 
On  Monday  morning,  at  about  eight  o'clock,  Elevator  A  (only  a  few 
hundred  feet  from  B)  caught  fire  from  the  flying  embers,  or  from  the 
Illinois  Central  freight  house  or  passenger  station,  and  was  soon  a  mass 
of  flame. 

This  was  a  matter  of  almost  as  much  importance  to  the  railway  as 


FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK,  BEKORB  AND  AKTKR  THE  FIRK  OK  1871. 

to  the  owners ;  for  without  elevators  what  could  the  road  do  with  its 
great  grain  business?  It  was  a  ticklish  moment.  The  wooden  coal- 
shed  of  Elevator  B  took  fire  from  the  intense  heat  of  its  burning  neigh- 
bor, and  all  seemed  lost. 

In  some  way  the  knowledge  of  the  presence  of  the  new  fire- 
engines  came  to  the  helpless  watchers,  and  they  acted  on  the  impulse  of 
the  moment.  Mr.  John  Buckingham,  Mr.  Hayes  and  Mr.  Mitchell 
(superintendent)  seized  a  machine;  Mr.  Hayes  fired  it  up,  backed  it  to 
where  it  could  draw  water  from  the  river,  and  started  the  pump.  Mr. 
Mitchell  held  the  hose,  and  though  the  fire  had  already  burned  through 
from  the  coal-shed  to  the  office  in  the  engine-room  of  the  elevator,  the 
building  was  saved. 


320  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

The  elevator  company  gladly  bought  the  engine,  and,  in  honor  of 
its  service,  gave  it  the  name  of  "  Rescue,"  and  a  good  house  to  itself; 
and  to  this  day  (1891)  it  remains  on  the  ground,  in  perfect  condition 
and  well  cared  for,  and  once  a  month  is  fired  up  and  put  in  operation 
to  test  its  continued  efficiency. 

Reverting  to  the  matter  of  Cook  County  Records,  some  new  and 
interesting  statistics  and  narratives  are  given  as  appropriate  to  the  sub- 
ject, although  the  statement  of  facts  is  anticipatory. 
Accumulations  New  books,  pens,  ink,  paper,  desks,  etc.,  were  bought  ;  the  interior 

since  the  fire.  *  ••    « 

of  the  old  water-tank  at  Adams  and  La  Salle  Streets  was  fitted  up  and 
the  gigantic  task  entered  upon  anew  with  unabated  spirit. 

Mr.   W.   Scott  Kaufman,    Deputy   Recorder,  is  authority   for  the 
following  resume  of  the   accumulations  of  the  Record    office    in    the 
twenty  years  following  the  Fire  (1871  —  1891): 

Record  Department.  Pages. 

4,000  Record  Books,  averaging  640  pages  each  .........................  2,560,000 

325  Index  600      "        "      .........................     195,000 

53  Tract          "  "  75       "        "      .........................         3,975 

6  Index  600       "        "      .........................         3,600 

Abstract  Department. 

200  Original  Land  Entry  Books,  averaging  640  pages  each  ............  128,000 

300  Tract  "  "       .      500  "  "  ............  150,000 

100  Recorded  Abstract  "  640  "  "  ............  64,000 

325   Tax-Sale  400  "  "  ............  130,000 

too  Judgment  Record  "  400  "  "  ............  40,000 

120  Office  Memorandum  "  .          "             600  "  "  .......    ....  72,000 

320  Press  Copy  Abstract  "  r,ooo  "  "  ............  300,000 


5.829  Total  ......................  3,646,575 

The  entire  number  of  documents  recorded  in  the  twenty  years  has 
been  1,762,233.  The  number  recorded  in  the  year  ending  April  30, 
1891,  was  200,000;  a  number  exceeding,  it  is  said,  those  of  New  York, 
Philadelphia  and  Boston  put  together.  So  active  is  the  market  for 
lands  and  lots;  and  the  buying,  selling,  incumbering,  releasing,  laying  out 
and  indexing  of  real  estate  in  the  formation  of  a  mighty  city. 


Mr.  Kaufman  was  in  charge  of  the  U.  S.  Government  Weather  signal  office  at  the  time  of  the 
Fire  and  sent  off  his  final  report  for  Chicago  just  before  midnight.  When  he  left  the  office  he 
observed  the  advancing  glow  in  the  southwest  and  walked  toward  it,  crossed  the  river,  turned  about 
Government  and  recrossed  it  at  just  the  same  time  when  the  fire  leaped  over.  He  returned  to  the  signal  office 
na*officersB~  (La  Salle  Street,  opposite  the  Court  House)  and  packed  up  his  instruments  for  carrying  away. 
Before  starting  he  went  out  on  the  roof  and  took  a  last  look  at  his  anemometer  (wind  gauge)  and 
saw  that  it  registered  sixty  miles  an  hour!  The  additional  resistance  offered  by  his  bodv  to  the 
furious  gale  was  such  as  to  threaten  the  carrying  away  of  the  gauge  frame,  himself  and  all,  and  he 
beat  a  hasty  retreat;  later  pausing  at  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Clark  Streets  until  his  office  and 
the  Court  House  were  all  burning  up  together.  His  boarding  house  was  on  Michigan  Avenue, 
near  Monroe  Street,  from  which  place  he  was  driven  by  the  flames  shortly  after  seven  on  Monday 


A   NEW  STORY  OF   THE  FIRE, 

morning.  He  dragged  his  trunk  across  the  Lake  Front  Park  (then  filled  with  furniture,  pictures, 
books,  baggage,  etc.,  all  doomed  to  destruction)  and  threw  it  into  the  water,  covering  it  with  a 
drenched  mattress  to  keep  it  under.  Then  he  found  a  friend,  and  the  two  hired  a  boat,  came  back 
for  the  trunk,  tried  to  row  the  boat  against  the  wind  down  to  Twelfth  Street,  gave  up  the  effort, 
spent  most  of  the  day  among  the  piles  which  supported  the  railroad  track,  and  late  in  the  after- 
noon boarded  a  train  which  had  backed  down  to  about  Madison  Street  to  allow  the  refugees  to  get 
on  board,  and  so  were  carried  South,  out  of  the  way  of  further  harm. 

FIRE    APPENDIX. 

That  there  are  two  sides  to  every  question  is  a  general  rule,  and  it  would  be  absurd  to  assume 
that  an  exception  existed  in  the  matter  ol  the  conduct  of  the  Chicago  fire  department  and  water 
department  on  that  night  and  day  of  trial,  failure  and  disaster.  As  to  the  destruction  of  the  water 
works,  it  should  be  noticed  that  D.  W.  C.  Cregier,  chief  engineer,  was  out  of  the  city.  In  reply  to  a  Interyjcw  with 
question  as  to  whether  or  not  it  would  have  made  any  difference  if  he  had  been  here.  Mr.  Cregier  Cregier.0' 
says  (1891)  that  the  building  would  have  gone  just  the  same,  only  he  would  probably  not  have 
remained  alive  to  tell  of  it.  He  says  that  they  had  streams  playing  on  the  roof,  and  that 
the  south  windows  were  where  the  fire  came  in,  from  the  burning  of  Lill's  carpenter-shop,  and  came 
in  such  intensity  that  to  stay  would  mean  death,  sudden  and  inevitable.  He  says  that  three  men  in 
the  brewery  staid  too  long,  and  on  coming  out,  crept  into  some  lengths  of  large  iron  pipe  lying 
near  by,  where  they  perished,  and  whence  he  next  morning  pulled  out  their  remains — a  mere  hand- 
ful, without  clothing  or  any  semblance  of  humanity.  He  says  that  this  building  had  never  had  a 
metal  roof;  that  the  previous  building  (1854)  had  a  ceiling  of  corrugated  iron,  which  condensed  the 
steam  and  dropped  the  condensations,  to  the  injury  of  the  machinery;  wherefore  the  use  of  wood  on 
the  new  building.  Regarding  the  fire  department  he  can  say  but  little.  It  was  not  up  to  the  wants 
of  the  city,  and  never  would  have  been  but  for  the  Great  Fire  and  the  fire  of  1874.  After  the  flames 
got  across  the  South  Branch,  no  department  in  the  world  could  have  done  anything  with  it  in  the 
face  of  that  furious  dry  gale,  and  in  a  city  built  as  Chicago  was  at  that  time. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  steam  fire-engines  of  that  day  were  not  equal  to  those  of   the 
present;  and  that  directed  against   the  furious  gale,  an  eye-witness  says,  "  They  wouldn't  carry  ten 
feet!"      In  an  interview  with  Chief  Fire  Marshal  Williams,  on  November  I4th,  copied  in  Sheahan  & 
Upton's  admirable  "Chicago,  Past.  Present  and  Future,"  we  read  :  "  When  I  got  to  the  fire  I  should 
think  there  were  six  or  seven  buildings  ablaze — sheds  and  out-houses.     We  got  it  under  control     Qiief'Fir*'"1 
and  it  wouldn't  have  gone  a  foot  further,  but  the  next   thing  I  knew  they  came  and  told  me  that  St.      Marshall 
Paul's  Church,  two  squares  north,  was  on  fire.     .     .     .     The  Rehm  stood  on  the  corner  of  Church     w'l'iams. 
and  Mather  Streets,  working  that  plug,  and  it  was  so  hot  the   engineer  had  to  put  up  a  door  to  pro- 
tect himself.     The  Gund  was  on  the  east  side  of  ttie  church  and  the  Coventry  on  the  north. 
The  next  thing  1  knew  the  fire  was  in  Bateham's   planing-mill.     When    I  got  there  I  found  that  the 
match  factory  was  going,  as  was  the  lumber  just   north  of  it.     We   got  two   streams  in  there,  but 
couldn't  do  any  good;  as  the  fire  was  thick  and  heavy,  and  ran  along  to  another  lumber  yard,  north, 
and  spread  east  to  the  old  red  mill.     I  went  north  to  head  it  off  and  found  it  was  down  to  Harrison 
Street.     Commissioner  Chadwick  came  to  me,  and  said.  '  Don't  you  know  the  fire  is  ahead  of  you?' 
I  told  him  it  was  getting  ahead  of  me  in  spite  of  all  I  could  do;  it  was  just  driving  me  right  along. 
I  got  down  to  Van  Buren  Street  and  was  working  the  engines  there,  but  it  was  so  hot  that  the  men 
were  obliged  to  run  for  their  lives,  leaving  their  hose  on  the  ground.      They  came   to  me  and  asked 
what  they  were  to  do  about  hose.     I  said,  '  God  only  knows." 

"We  got  the  Gund  located  at  the  corner  of  Van  Buren  and  Canal  Streets.  .  .  .  The 
flames  rolled  over  the  men  who  were  with  the  engine  on  the  corner  and  I  told  the  foreman  to  get 
her  out  or  we  would  lose  her.  I  asked  some  citizens  to  help  and  we  ran  up  to  uncouple  the  suction 
from  the  plug,  and  others  commenced  to  uncouple  the  hose.  Just  then  a  wave  of  flame  came  rolling 
•over  the  street,  and  I  was  obliged  to  get  away.  Hose  was  afterward  attached  to  the  axle  of  the 
Gund,  and  the  citizens  pulled  her  up  on  the  sidewalk  where  she  was  burned  up. 

"  I  met  Alec  McGonigle.  fireman  of  the  Long  John,  and  he  told  me  there  was  a  fire  on  the 
South  Side.  I  told  him  to  go  for  it,  and  I  jumped  on  a  hose  cart  and  went  over  too.  ...  I  got 
the  Economy  to  work  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and  La  Salle  Streets  and  led  the  hose  in  through 
the  stairway  opposite.  We  were  not  in  there  three  minutes  before  a  sheet  of  flames  rolled  over  us 
and  the  boys  dropped  the  pipe  and  ran  for  their  lives.  The  wind  was  blowing  so  heavy  that  the 
water  would  not  go  ten  feet  from  the  nozzle  of  the  pipe.  We  could  not  strike  a  second-story  win- 
dow. ...  I  then  went  to  work  and  got  my  two  engines  to  play  on  the  Sherman  House.  I 
thought  we  would  be  able  to  save  it  on  account  of  the  open  space  opposite.  But.  my  God!  there 
was  a  piece  of  board  six  feet  long  that  came  over  and  landed  right  on  top  of  the  [old]  Tribune  build- 
ing on  Clark  Street,  and  it  was  not  two  minutes  before  that  row  was  on  fire.  .  .  .  While  I 
was  wetting  down  the  Sherman  House  I  heard  ihat  the  Water  Works  were  on  fire.  I  jumped  into 
my  wagon  and  drove  over  to  see  if  it  was  true,  and  when  I  got  near  there  I  saw  that  the  roof  was 
all  on  fire,  and  the  flames  rolling  out  of  every  opening  of  the  building." 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 


Splendid 
conduct  of 
Insurance 
companies. 


Trepidation  of 
the  timid. 


DERRICK  TIME. 

ERRICK  time"  is  the  name  which  at- 
tached itself  to  the  years  immediately  fol- 
lowing the  great  fire.  Those  who  have 
complained  bitterly  of  an  occasional 
obstruction  caused  by  construction  can 
partly  appreciate  the  state  of  things  when 
everywhere  in  the  burned  district  there 
was  either  a  blank  or  a  brick-pile.  Not 
infrequently  a  derrick  dropped  its  load  to 
the  ground,  or  toppled  over  bodily  into 
the  street.  Occasionally  some  one — usu- 
ally a  laborer — was  killed,  or  grievously 
hurt.  In  such  cases,  the  stricken  family 
was  well  and  easily  cared  for,  as  it  was 
only  one  additional  item  on  the  hands  of 
the  toiling,  burdened,  but  inexhaustible  Relief  and  Aid  Society.  The 
poor,  in  those  days,  were  the  rich,  and  the  rich  were  the  poor,  for  com- 
mon labor  was  in  unparalleled  demand  ;  the  only  trouble  was  to  obtain 
the  money  for  settling-day.  Even  this  was  not  a  desperate  thing,  for 
the  blessed  insurance  companies — those  which  did  not  utterly  fail — vied 
with  each  other  in  promptness  and  liberality  of  payments,  and  $50,000,- 
ooo  is  a  huge  sum!  A.  T.  Stewart,  shrewd  old  Scot,  foresaw  that  the 
worst  pinch  would  come,  not  at  once,  but  a  few  years  later,  when  the 
first  outflow  of  cash  should  begin  to  diminish  ;  and  he  directed  a  part, 
or  the  whole,  of  his  large  gift  ($50,000)  to  the  relief  of  the  postponed 
suffering. 

A  vast  quantity  of  foolishness  was  talked,  and  some  excusable 
alarm  was  really  felt,  regarding  the  possibility  of  rebuilding  on  the  old 
lines  and  with  the  old  stability.  The  first  question  was,  "Who  will  lend 
money  where  titles  can  not  be  shown  of  record?"  This  agitation  was 
soon  quelled  by  the  passage  through  the  legislature  of  what  is  called 
"  The  Burnt  Record  Act,"  which  provided  for  the  use  of  "  abstracts  of 
title,"  and  other  documents  (though  in  private  custody)  as  foundation 
for  new  records,  and  as  proof  of  ownership  under  certain  careful 
restrictions.  Suits  brought  under  this  act  had  a  calendar  of  their  own, 


DERRICK    TIME. 


323 


Record  Act. 


Words  hearty 

Many   andtimely- 


and  were  tried  more  promptly  than  other   cases.     This  was  the  first 
great  step  toward  perfect  relief;  the  next  was  the  liberal  and  reasonable  The  Burnt 
•course  of  the  "abstract  men,"  described  in  the  last  previous  chapter. 

Then  came  the  question  whether  the  city  could  be  built,  and  busi- 
ness credit  re-established,  by  a  set  of  "  ruined  "  merchants.  In  answer 
to  this  doubt  came  a  cloud  of  telegrams  from  Eastern  wholesalers  and 
manufacturers  reading  in  this  wise  :  "  We  suppose  you  are  burned  out. 
Order  from  us  what  goods  you  want,  and  pay  us  when  you  can." 
a  man  who,  dry-eyed,  had  seen  his  property  burn,  felt  the  tears  surging 
up,  as  he  spelled  out  this  message. 

To  this,  followed  the  doubt  as  to  whether,  even  if  rebuilt,  the  busi- 
ness district  would  not  be  somewhere  outside  the  old  locality.      Banks, 
insurance  companies,  stores,  hotels, 
shops,  etc.,  occupied  the  residences 
lying  south  and  west  of  the  burnt 
district  ;  would  they  not  stay  there 
indefinitely,  rather  than   rebuild  in 
their  old  places,  having  nothing  to 
rebuild  with  ? 

The  city  council  gave  a  good 
deal  of  acceptable  relief  by  leas- 
ing out  the  east  side  of  Michigan 
avenue  (Lake  Front  Park)  in 
twenty-five  foot  lots,  at  twenty-five 
dollars  a  year,  apiece,  for  one 
year,  to  persons  needing  temporary 
stores  and  shops  while  permanent 
ones  were  preparing.  The  whole 
space  from  Park  Row  to  Randolph 
street  was  soon  filled  with  low,  barn-like  "  shanties,"  which,  though 
small,  dark  and  desperately  cold  in  winter  and  hot  in  summer,  served 
a  very  good  purpose.  The  Relief  and  Aid  Society*  spent  nearly  a  Buildings 

.  r         1    •     i 

million  dollars  in  structures,  temporary  and  permanent,  some  of  which 
are  still  standing  (1891).  Between  October  i8th  and  November  i  7th. 
the  society  put  up  5,226  houses,  using  35,000,000  feet  of  lumber.  The 
reports  of  this  great  charity  present  a  bewildering  mass  and  magni- 

*  The  following  is  an  imperfect  list  of  the  workers  in  the  Relief  and  Aid  directly  after  the  fire;  incomplete  as  to  num- 
ber, and  faulty  in  its  failure  to  distinguish  those  more  devoted  than  their  fellows  :  Henry  W.  King.  Wirt  Dexter,  E.  C. 
Lamed,  T.  M.  Avery,  T.  W.  Harvey,  Marshall  Field,  John  V.  Farwell,  N.  S.  Bouton,  Murry  Nelson,  J.  T.  Ryerson,  N.  K. 
Fair&ank,  George  M.  Pullman,  Dr.  H.  A.  Johnson,  H.  E.  Sargeant,  Julius  Rosenthal,  C.  H.  S.  Mixer,  A.  B.  Meeker,  B. 
G.  Caulfield,  J.  McGregor  Adams,  C.  G.  Hammond,  Mayor  R.  B.  Mason  (ex-officio).  Mayor  Joseph  Medill  (ex-officio), 
Rev.  Robert  Laird  Collier,  J.  Mason  Loomis,  E.  B.  McCagg,  Abijah  Keith.  George  R.  Chittenden,  Rev.  E.  P.  Goodwin, 
Mrs.  D.  A.  Gage,  Louis  Wahl,  Mrs.  J.  Mason  Loomis,  Mrs.  Joseph  Medill,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Tyler,  Orrington  Lunt,  Elijah  K. 
Hubbard,  William  E.  Doggett,  and  Drs.  J.  E.  Oilman,  B.  McVicker,  Reuben  Ludlam,  M.  J.  Asch,  J.  H  Rauch,  M.  Mann- 
hcimer,  Ernst  Schmidt  and  R.  C.  Miller. 


j.  MCGREGOR  ADAMS. 


UP  by  *'11 

&A. 


324 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Doubls  all 
proved  to 
vain. 


be 


Mayor  Medill 
and  the  city 
problem. 


tude  of  statistics;  and  the  services  of  its  administrators,  as  a  spectacle  of 
self-devotion,  are  such  as  the  world  has  rarely  seen  in  time  of  peace. 
They  must  be  added  to  the  list  of  Chicago's  "  worthies." 

Vain  doubts.  Substantially  the  same  trades  went  back  to  the  same 
placed — often  a  firm  hired  a  new  building  (as  soon  as  it  could  be  built) 
on  the  very  lot  which  it  had  before  occupied.  Those  who  had  owned 
the  lots  hastened  to  settle  all  doubts  by  building  anew.  "  Build  first, 
and  discuss  afterward,"  was  the  principle  acted  on  ;  but  how  it  piled  up 
the  mortgages  !  Every  man  asked  himself  and  the  lending  world, 
"  How  much  can  I  borrow?"  Not  "  How  am  I  going  to  pay?"  It  was 
a  perilous  system  ;  nothing  can  justify  it  except  the  result,  which  has 


CHARLES  0.  HAMMOND. 


JOHN  V.  FARWELL. 


been  triumphant.     Still,  it  should  not  be  taken  as  a  precedent,  for  the 
world  does  not  contain  many  Chicagos. 

Another  serious  problem  was  to  be  met  in  the  rehabilitation  of  the 
city's  terribly  depleted  finances.  A  new  city  government  was  elected 
within  the  month  fpllowing  the  fire,  including,  as  mayor,  Joseph  Medill. 
The  new  chief  officer  showed  himself  a  man  of  immense  power, 
dauntless  courage,  tireless  industry,  unfailing  shrewdness  and  unques- 
tionable personal  honesty.  Even  in  the  heat  of  political  partisan  strife, 
it  is  difficult  to  find  any  serious  attack  on  Mr.  Medill's  administration 
of  his  office  as  the  "  Great  Fire  Mayor."  In  his  inaugural  message  to 
the  council,  he  said  : 

Of   the  total  property  in  Chicago  created  by  labor  and  capital,  existing  on  the  8th  of  October, 

more  than  half  perished  on  the  gth The  city,  as  a  corporation,  has   lost  its  property  and 

income,  precisely  as  have  individuals    ....     As  our  citizens  are  retrenching  expenses  to  meet 


DERRICK   TIME. 


335 


$14,103,000 

557,000    $13,546,000 


the  exigencies,  and  keep  within  their  means,  so  must  the  municipal  government  do  likewise 
I  shall  proceed  to  state  the  present  fiscal  condition  01  the  city 

Bonded  debt 

Less  bonds  in  sinking  fund     - 

The  debt  is  composed  of  the  following  items  : 
Funded  debt,  old  issues 
new  issues 
School  bonds 
School  construction  bonds 

Sewerage  bonds    .  .... 

River  Improvement  bonds 
Water  bonds  ----- 


$  342,000 
2,192,500 
1,119,500 
53,000 
2,680,000 
2,896,000 
4,820,000 


$14,103,000 

[Floating  debt  may  be  omitted,  as  it  is  nearly  balanced  by  cash  on  hand.    The  loss  of  the  city 
in  buildings,  machinery,  etc.,  is  placed  at  $2,509,180,  but  was  more.] 


GEORGE  SCHNEIDER. 


EXRA  B.  McCAGG. 


.  .  .  What  lesson  should  this  cruel  visitation  teach  us  ?  ...  A  blind,  unreasoning 
infatuation  in  favor  of  pine  for  outside  walls,  and  pine,  covered  with  paper  and  tar,  for  roofs,  has 
possessed  many  of  our  people.  ...  If  we  rebuild  the  city  with  this  dangerous  material,  we 
have  a  moral  certainty,  at  no  distant  day,  of  a  recurrence  of  the  catastrophe.  .  .  The  outside  walls 
of  every  building  hereafter  erected  within  the  limits  of  Chicago  should  be  composed  of  materials  as 
incombustible  as  brick,  stone,  iron,  concrete  or  slate. 

In  accordance  with  the  mayor's  suggestion,  the  "  fire  limits  "  (pro- 
hibition of  wooden  buildings)  were  extended  to  the  city  limits,  but  not 
without  bitter  opposition.  People  naturally  cried  out  against  a  new 
burden,  added  just  when  all  were  least  able  to  bear  it.  The  Relief  and 
Aid  cottages  were  already  built ;  and,  excepting  some  cases  of  unnoticed 
breach  of  the  law,  no  other  wooden  structures  have  been  put  up  in,  or 
moved  into,  the  city  proper,  since  the  great  fire.  To  this  is  attributed 
the  comparative  uniformity  of  architecture  observable  throughout  the 
burnt  district  at  this  time  (1891).  In  New  York,  some  thousands  of 
old,  unsightly  wooden  tenements  may  be  counted  in  even  the  ancient 


Fire  limits 
extended. 


936 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


portion  of  the  city — say  south  of  the  line  of  Bleecker  Street.  One  looks 
down  upon  them  from  each  of  the  elevated  roads,  wondering  how  they 
could  have  been  put  up  within  modern  days,  or  have  stood  since  earlier 
times.  New  York  has  had  no  Great  Fire. 

This  brings  up  a  question  as  to  how  grievous,  after  all,  was  the  per- 
manent loss  in  the  destruction  of  buildings.  Every  day  one  sees,  in 
Chicago,  large,  costly  brick  buildings  demolished  to  make  place  for 
i«  the  it**  of  structures  larger  and  more  costly.  How  much  worse  would  it  be  if 
those  buildings  were  burned  instead  of  pulled  down?  It  is  rare  that 
the  debris  of  a  demolished  building  pays  for  the  labor  and  loss  of  time 
involved  in  its  demolition.  Suppose  all  the  burned  structures  to  have 
been,  by  this  time,  doomed  to  destruction,  to  make  way  for  better 


How  serious 
is  the  loss  c 
old  buildmps:- 


Early  recon- 
struction. 


UNION  BUILDING,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  187L 

things ;  how  much  loss,  if  any,  would  be  chargeable  to  their  sudden, 
wholesale  removal  ?     Andreas  says  : 

Within  six  weeks  after  the  fire,  212  permanent  stone  and  brick  buildings  were  in  ccurse  of 
erection  in  the  South  Division  alone,  their  tutal  street  frontage  extending  17,715  feet,  or  three-and- 
a-half  miles.  Before  December  1st.  250  building  permits  had  been  issued,  and  between  December 
I.  1871,  and  October  :,  i?72,  the  number  of  permits  issued  was  1,250,  classified  as  follows  : 


As  to  material  : 
Frame    (exclusive    of     temporary 

structures).     - 
Brick 
Iron 
Stone 


As  to  height  : 


965 

20 

200 


One  story 
Two  stories 
Three  stories  - 
Four  stories 
Five  stories     - 
Six  stories 
Seven  stories 

The  total  frontage  of  these  buildings  was  43.413  feet;  over  eight  miles. 
Below  is  given  the  grand  total  of  the  first  year's  work  : 

Total  frontage. 

South  Division  -  -  2  feet 

North  Division  -  7.°9' 

West  Division  -  -  891 


284 

375 

226 

263 

66 

10 

I 


Total  cost. 

f??.  1 34.700 

6.425.000 

99!  500 


Totals, 


$45.558.200 


DERRICK  TIME. 


327 


Reverting  to  the  matter  of  civic  finances,  one  wonders  how  the 
interest  on  the  public  debt  can  be  paid,  the  absolute  damages  repaired,  Civic  finanees 
and  the  defects  remedied,  which  the  fire  has  brought  to  light,  all  with 
destroyed  assessment  rolls,  and  diminished  tax-paying  power.  Mayor 
Cregier's  report,  already  quoted,  gives  the  following  items  of  destruction 
of  corporation  property: 

The  fire  spread  over  a  territory  about  four  miles  in  length  by  an  average  of  two-thirds  of  a  mile 
in  breadth,  comprising  about  1.687.69  acres,  and  finally  ended  at  midnight  of  the  second  day,  at  the 
extreme  northeast  portion  of  the  city,  having  destroyed,  with  two  or  three  exceptions,  every  build- 
ing in  its  course.  It  burned  over,  on  an  average,  sixty-five  acres  per  hour,  and  the  average  destruc- 
tion of  property  was  about  $7,500  ooo  per  hour,  or  (125,000  per  minute  ....  The  new  City 
Hall,  which  had  been  occupied  only  about  a  year,  and  which  had  cost  the  city  about  1470.000,  was 
entirely  ruined  ....  There  were  six  vaults  in  the  building,  which  were  intended  to  be  fire- 
proof .  .  .In  the  first  four,  which  were  composed  wholly  of  brick,  everything  was  preserved 


CROSBY'S  OPERA  HOUSE,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRB  OF  1871. 

uninjured,  while  in  the  last  two,  in  consequence  of  the  giving  way  of  the  5tone  which  was  used  for 
the  floors,  the  contents  were  destroyed.  [The  general  experience  was  to  the  effect  that  brick  stood 
the  fire  better  than  stone.] 

The  great  fire  inflicted  material  injury  on  the  harbor.     Several  vessels  were  sunk,  and  being 
abandoned  by  their  owners,  the  city  had  to  remove  them.    All  the  plats  of  the  river  survey 
were  destroyed.      The  following  is  an  estimate  of  damages  resulting  from  the  fire,  inflicted  upon 
public   property   relating   to   the   harbor:      Bridges  and  viaducts.  $204,310;    river  tunnels,  $6. ooo: 
docks  at  ends  of  streets,  $6,000;  removing  sunken  hulls,  f  7,300    .... 

At  this  trying  juncture  occurred  something  which  illustrated  the 
soundness  of  Mr.  Schneider's  saying ;  that  municipal  securities  are  safer 
than  other  public  obligations,  because  there  is  tangible  property  to  show 
for  them.  The  city  had  taken  hold  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal, 
and  enlarged  it  at  an  expense  of  $2,955,340.  Now  the  State  legislature 
(convened  by  Governor  Palmer  to  devise  measures  of  relief)  took 
from  Chicago  its  lien  on  the  canal,  paying  to  the  city  its  sorely  needed 
$2,955,340 !  The  act  provided  that  not  less  than  a  fifth  nor  more  than 


Schneider's 

saying  about 
metropolitan 
securities. 


328 


THE   STORY  OF   CHICAGO. 


a  third  of  the  sum  should  be  applied  to  the  re-building  of  bridges  and 
other  structures  of  a  permanent  character,  while  the  remainder  should 
go  to  the  payment  of  interest  on  the  public  debt  and  the  maintenance 
of  the  police  and  fire  departments.  This  was  in  the  form  of  a  purchase 
(in  fact,  if  the  city  had  not  had  this  to  offer  as  an  equivalent,  the  legis- 
lature could  not  have  appropriated  the  money,  for  the  lack  of  constitu- 
aiityofthe  tional  authority),  but  it  was  in  truth  a  noble  act  of  benevolence;  showing 
that  though  Chicago's  rural  neighbors  may  sometimes  feel  or  pre- 
tend to  feel  a  certain  jealousy  and  distrust  of  metropolitan  airs,  graces, 
pretenses  and  extravagances ;  yet  when  evil  days  fall  upon  the  chief 
town  of  the  State,  it  suddenly  becomes  evident  that  blood  is  thicker 
than  water,  and  that  all  Illinoisans  are  of  one  blood,  from  the  Cairo 
point  to  the  Wisconsin  line. 


State  Gov- 
ernment. 


POST  OFFICE,  BEFORE  AXD  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 


The  Rookeries, 
old  and  new. 


The  city,  owning  the  lot  (i"]^>  feet  square)  whereon  stood  the  great, 
ugly,  circular,  iron  water-tank  or  reservoir,  at  the  corner  of  LaSalle  and 
Adams  Streets,  proceeded  to  build  around  it  a  City  Hall,  uglier  if  pos- 
sible than  the  tank  itself.*  This,  from  its  barrack-like  squalor  and 
dusty  desolation,  acquired  the  name  of  the  "  Rookery,"  and  in  revenge, 
the  same  lot  now  shows  (  1891  )  one  of  the  most  beautiful  office-build- 
ings in  the  city  or  the  world  ;  the  name  "  Rookery  "  still  sticking  to  it 
and  being  glorified  by  its  new  application.  The  old  "rookery  "was 
begun  a  week  after  the  fire  and  finished,  furnished  and  occupied  in  little 
more  than  seventy  days,  at  a  cost  of  $75,000.  Bad  as  it  was,  it  served, 
for  want  of  a  better,  for  fourteen  years  ;  when  its  gigantic  successor,  on 
the  old  Court-house  lot,  took  its  place  ;  more  imposing,  more  costly, 

*  One  critic  said  that  the  tank  looked  like  the  basement  of  the  Tower  of  Babel,  while  the  Rookerv  looked  as  if  it 
had  been  a  formless  product  out  of  the  waste  material  after  the  confusion  of  tongue*. 


DERRICK  TIME. 


329 


more  pleasing  to  the  eye,  more  satisfying  to  civic  pride,  but  scarcely 
less  faulty,  being  perishable,  dark  and  incommodious. 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  the  city's  public  losses  were  met ;  the 
damages  of  all  kinds  were  repaired;  the  buildings,  bridges,  lamps,  pumps, 
hydrants,  fire-engines  and  houses,  alarm  system,  tunnels,  docks,  viaducts 
and  ten  thousand  other  necessaries  of  civic  life  have  been  provided  and 
paid  for;  and  after  it  is  all  done  and  doubled  and  re-doubled  in  the 
twenty  years  that  have  elapsed,  the  city  debt,  $14,103,000  in  1871,15 
$13,545,400  in  1891,  of  which  nearly  a  million  ($983,900)  has  arisen 
from  the  assumption  of  the  debts  of  annexed  suburbs.  Can  history 
show  a  parallel  to  this  achievement  ?* 

The  first  new  structure  in  the  business  district  was  built  almost 
before  the  fire  had  spent  its  force  in  the  north.  It  was  a  board  hut  put 


Unparalleled 
achievement 
by  the  city. 


FIRST    BUILDING    ERECTED    AFTER    THE    FIRE. 


up  by  William  D.  Kerfoot,  real  estate  agent,  in  front  of  his  old  office, 
89  Washington  Street,  between  Clark  and  Dearborn,  and  was  begun 
and  finished  on  Tuesday,  October  loth.  It  was  12  by  16  feet,  had 
board  sides,  floor  and  roof,  and  was  surmounted  by  the  proud  sign, 
"  Kerfoot's  Block."  (He  would  have  built  it  on  the  lot  instead  of  the 
street,  but  the  bricks  were  still  too  hot.)  Here  was  the  gathering- 

*  A  change  in  method  of  collecting  taxes  suspended  and  finally  defeated  parts  of  the  tax-levy  of  1873,  '74  and  '75, 
amounting  to  $900,000.  A  defalcation  of  the  City  Treasurer,  amounting  to  $500,000,  brought  the  total  deficit  up  to  $1,400,- 
ooo.  Meanwhile  City  scrip  was  issued  for  pressing  needs,  relying  for  its  redemption  on  these  "assets,1'  so  called,  which 
scrip  being  based  on  an  unlawful  assessment,  and  in  excess  of  the  constitutional  limit  of  indebtedness,  could  not  be  col- 
lected by  law.  The  City  was  morally  bound,  but  legally  free.  Thereupon  Mayor  Colvin  called  a  meeting  of  leading 
citizens  at  the  Old  Rookery.  One  and  all,  Marshall  Field,  John  V.  Farwell,  and  others  (whose  names  ought  to  be  remem- 
bered but  are  not)  declared  in  favor  of  payment,  and  a  bill  was  prepared  and  pushed  through  the  Legislature,  providing 
for  the  re-assessment  of  the  old  defeated  levy,  which  re-assessment  was  made  in  1878  and  collected  in  1879,  and  every 
dollar  of  the  indebtedness  paid— a  really  voluntary  act  on  the  part  of  a  "  soul-less  "  corporation.  Chicago  worked  as  hard 
to  find  an  expedient  for  paying,  as  some  others  have  worked  to  find  an  excuse  for  repudiating. 


330 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


place,  the  half-way  house  between  the  South  and  West  divisions — 
there  was  no  North.  Here  people  put  up  their  names  and  new 
addresses,  and  here  were  the  notices  of  meetings,  etc.,  affixed. 

What  quiet  reigned  for  a  few  days  and  then  what  a  busy  hum  began  ! 
The  telegraph  wires  and  contorted  street-car  rails  were  shoved  aside, 
on  certain  streets,  especially  those  leading  to  the  tunnels,  enough  of 
the  debris  of  fallen  walls  was  removed  to  make  a  passage,  narrow  and 

Gradual  clear- 
obstructed'    tortuous,  for  wheeled  vehicles,  and   in   about  a  week  these  could  make 

their  way  about  the  desolate  wastes  ;  not  on  all  the  streets,  but  on 
many;  the  number  being  daily  increased.  Meanwhile  the  streets  and 
bridges  just  outside  the  destroyed  part  were  crowded  with  carriages 
and  wagons  of  all  kinds;  and  foot-passengers  brought  in  by  business  or 
curiosity  tramped  among  the  ruins.  Whole  rows  of  dwellings  in  the 


Rehabilitation 
of  the  news- 
papers. 


UNITY  CHURCH,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

far  south,  and  in  the  not-so-distant  west,  were  turned  into  hotels. 
Many  single  residences,  and  the  front  rooms  of  others,  were  let  at  great 
rentals  for  banks,  business  offices,  etc.  The  postoffice  was  established 
in  a  convenient  church.  The  newspaper  offices  were  opened  chiefly  on 
the  West  Side,  as  that  was  nearest  to  the  ancient  news  center.  The 
"Journal"  had  almost  alone  the  distinction  of  continuous  publication. 
Regarding  the  "  Tribune"  we  have  the  vivid  word-painting  of  Mr.  Bross  : 

On  Monday  afternoon  Mr.  Medill  sought  for  and  purchased  Edwards'  job  office,  No.  15  South 
Canal  street.  When  I  arrived,  I  found  him  in  the  upper  stories  among  the  types  and  printers,  doing 
all  he  could  to  get  ready  to  issue  a  paper  in  the  morning.  .  .  .  My  next  duty  was  to  get  up  four 
stoves.  For  these  I  started  west  on  Randolph  Street,  but  every  store  had  sold  out.  At  the  corner 
of  Halsted  Street  I  found  the  four  I  wanted,  price  $16  each.  Told  the  owner.  .  .  .  they  were 
for  the  Tribune  Company  ..."  I  don't  know  about  dat,"  said  the  worthy  Teuton;  "  I  guess  I 
must  have  de  money  for  dem  stoves."  .  .  .  On  Saturday  our  note  would  have  been  good  for 
$100,000,  and  on  Tuesday  we  could  not  buy  four  stoves  on  credit.  .  .  .  My  first  question,  half 
joke,  half  earnest,  to  every  friend  I  met  was  "  Have  you  got  any  money?"  The  tenth  man, 


DERRICK    TIME. 


331 


perhaps,  said:  "Yes;  how  much  do  you  want?"  "All  you  can  spare."  And  he  handed  me  $60. 
.  .  .  Coming  back  to  the  office  I  found  a  dozen  or  two  more  of  our  leading  citizens,  like  myself, 
all  "  strapped,"  till,  at  last,  E.  S.  Wadsworth  handed  me  $100  .  .  .  But  money  soon  began  to 
flow  in.  Between  three  and  four  o'clock  our  clerk,  Mr.  Lowell,  came  to  me  and  said:  "  There  are 
some  people  here  with  advertisements  for  lost  friends."  I  said:  "  Take  them  and  the  cash, 
registering  in  your  memorandum  book,"  and,  upon  a  dirty  old  box  on  the  window-sill  fora  desk,  the 
"  Tribune  "  at  once  commenced  doing  a  lively  business.  .  .  Another  sleepless  night:  and  in  the 
morning,  as  I  sat  sipping  my  coffee,  I  saw  Sheridan's  boys,  with  knapsacks  and  muskets,  march 
proudly  by.  Never  did  deeper  emotions  of  joy  overcome  me.  Thank  God,  those  most  dear  to  me, 
and  the  city  as  well,  were  safe. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  earliest  impulses  were  the  most  generous 
and  unquestioning.  Where  delay  occurred,  other  interests  came  in, 
calculation  took  the  place  of  impulse  and  men  began  again  to  see  that 
"business  is  business"  after  all.  The  most  conspicuous  example  of 
this  was  in  the  effort  to  move  Congress  to  rebate  the  duty  on  building 
materials  absolutely  used  in  reconstruction  ;  as  had  been  done  in  the 


Failure  of  Con. 
gressional  ef. 
lorts  at  relief. 


RESIDENXE  OF  GKO.  RUMSEY,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 


Andreas  (2  Hist. 


case  of  the  Great  Fire  in  Portland,  Maine,  in  1866. 
Chic.,  p.  59)  says: 

When  the  measure  was  first  proposed  it  encountered  no  serious  objection;  but  before  the  bill 
was  taken  up  for  action,  the  enthusiasm  of  sympathy  had  cooled,  and  an  opposition,  headed  by  the 
lumber  interest,  had  been  formed.  A  long  and  bitter  fight  over  the  passage  of  the  bill  ensued, 
resulting  in  its  enactment,  with  the  rebate  clause  relating  to  lumber  stricken  out.  Chicago  derived 
but  little  benefit  from  the  enactment,  owing  to  the  dilatoriness  of  the  Treasury  Department  in 
adopting  rules  to  give  it  efficacy.  Many  difficulties  were  interposed  and  not  a  little  bitter  feeling 
toward  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  was  engendered  by  what  was  believed  to  indicate  a  disposition 
on  his  part  to  defeat  the  object  of  the  act. 

The  upshot  of  it  was  that  only  a  single  block  of  buildings  (east 
side  of  Rush  Street,  between  Ohio  and  Indiana  Streets)  was  built 
wholly  or  largely  of  material  imported  free  of  duty. 

Derrick  time  was  not  an  unhappy  time.  All  were  in  similar  straits, 
all  busy,  all  hopeful,  all  economical  together.  A  certain  informality, 


All  poor,  busy, 
hopeful  and 
economical. 


332 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Relics  of  the 
Court-House 
fire. 


East-bound 
trains. 


comradeship,  frankness,  is  the  inevitable  result  of  this  state  of  things; 
shipwreck  brings  all  passengers  to  a  level  of  helplessness  or  helpfulness, 
as  their  nature  may  be ;  whether  they  be  first  cabin,  second  cabin  or 
steerage.  The  natural  leaders  go  to  the  front,  and  the  natural  workers 
follow  them.  Economy  and  benevolence  were  the  fashion.  The  earli- 
est gaiety  was  the  establishment  of  a  dancing-class  wittily  named  "The 
Cinders."  The  old  Court-house  bell  was  bought  by  an  enterprising 
speculator  who  broke  it  up  and  melted  it  down  into  innumerable  tiny 
bells  suitable  for  a  lady's  chatelaine,  and  the  "  Cinders"  dances  were 
vocal  with  a  silvery  tinkling ;  a  sound,  by  the  way,  that  was  also  audible 
at  the  dispersing  of  certain  church  congregations,  until  it  was  frowned 
away  as  being  unsuited  to  the  time  and  place.  These  bells  are  still 
(1891)  for  sale  in  town. 


MICHIGAN  AVE.  NORTH  FROM  MADISON  ST.,  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE  FIRE  OF  1871. 

The  east-bound  trains  for  days  and  weeks  were  loaded  to  their  full 
capacity  with  women  and  children,  in  almost  all  stages  of  destitution  as 
to  clothing.  For  once  the  baggage  cars  were  not  filled  proportion- 
ately with  the  passenger  coaches.  Most  of  the  refugees  had  nothing 
whatever  to  take  along.  As  has  been  said,  a  vast  number  of  these  were 
transported  by  the  railroads  without  charge,  though  the  roads  themselves 
had  shared  the  losses  of  the  people. 

Severed  families  were  many  ;  the  bread-winners  toiling  among  their 
ruins  while  their  hearts  were  away  with  the  loved  ones  at  the  "  old 
home"  in  the  East,  whither  their  thoughts  turned  whenever  they  were 
free  to  turn  at  all.  Meanwhile  the  "mother-in-law" — derided  in  fiction 
and  journalism,  though  beloved  in  real  life — was  caring  for  wife  and 
babies.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  in  ten  thousand  hearts  there  arose  the 
consoling  thought,  even  while  the  fire  was  raging,  that  "  Father's"  was 


DERRICK   TIME. 


333 


the  safe  and  certain  refuse  ;  and  that  ten  thousand  wandering,  home- 
less, uncomfortable  little  ones  were  comforted  by  the  assurance  that 
all  would  be  well  as  soon  as  they  could  get  to  "grandmother."  It 
with  a  feeling  of  shame  that  an  old  "  burnt-outer"  comes  across  the 
current  gibes  and  jeers  at  mothers-in-law  ;  and  he  wonders  if  the  wit- 
lings remember  that  every  grandmother  is  necessarily  a  mother-in-law; 
that  that  position  comes  successively  to  every  woman  who,  with  her 
offspring,  perpetuates  the  race. 


£«•  * 


FIRST  MERCHANTS  IN  THE  BURNT  DISTRICT. 


About  ten  A.  M.,  Wednesday,  October  II,  1871,  Mr.  Shock,  T.  J.  Bigford  and  myself,  walking 
along  State  Street,  below  Harrison,  noticed  an  old  mahogany  sideboard.  It  was  suggested  that  we 
purchase  it  and  start  business,  so  we  made  a  bargain  with  the  owner,  a  second-hand  dealer. 

Our  combined  cash  capital  being  less  than  $5.00,  we  had  to  make  the  most  of  it.  Our  pur- 
chases consisted  of  the  old  sideboard,  an  empty  barrel,  a  water  bucket  and  six  glasses,  which  cost  us 
$2.50.  We  then  hired  an  expressman  to  take  the  things  down  to  the  Lake,  fill  the  barrel  with  water 


334 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


and  haul  it  to  the  corner  of  Deaiborn  and  Monroe  Streets,  opposite  the  old  Post  Office.  While  this 
was  being  done,  I  went  over  on  West  Lake  Street,  where  the  commission  men  were  opening  their 
stores,  and  purchased  a  barrel  of  cider,  a  barrel  of  apples  and  some  grapes,  getting  trusted  for  them. 

At  about  one  o'clock  we  opened  the  first  store  in  the  burned  district,  our  stand  being  located 
at  169  Dearborn  Street.  We  cleared  about  $25.00  that  afternoon,  selling  our  goods  at  the  "  old 
prices."  The  photograph  of  our  stand  was  taken  by  Coplin. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Bandwin  opened  a  book  and  news  stand  near  us,  Frank  Barker,  then  a 
little  boy,  clerking  for  him. — H.  W.  KENNICOTT. 


RELIC  HOUSE. 

(A  buildinr  entirely  made  of  fragments  collected  from  the  ruins  of  the   North  Side.    Still 
standing  in  iSgi.) 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


churches 


SOCIAL     RE-ORGANIZATION. 

CERTAIN  metropolitan  character  began,  from 
and  after  the  Fire,  to  mark  Chicago  society 
for  the  first  time.  As  already  observed,  the 
beginnings  of  social  life  had  been  largely  con- 
nected with  the  several  churches,  and  there- 
fore clannish,  rather  than  homogenous.  Now 
the  congregations  were  scattered,  some  of  them 

*       ** 

never  to  re-unite,  for  the  principal  church-  ' 
buildings,  to  the  number  of  thirty-nine, 
were  burned;  and  such  as  had  been  central 
in  place,  so  as  to  draw  attendance  from  all 
over  the  city,  were  not  rebuilt  in  the  same 
spots  (the  land  being  at  once  too  valuable, 
and  too  far  from  the  homes  of  the  people), 

but  were  moved   out  to  one  or  other  of  the  three  residence  districts, 
which  are  north,  south  and  west  of  the  business  area. 

This  scattering  was  painful  at  the  outset,  but  advantageous  in  the 
end,  for  it  tended  to  break  up  cliques,  and  to  favor  the  formation  of 
society  on  its  proper  basis;  association  induced  by  intellectual  sympathy 
instead  of  mere  church  membership.  .  Social  growth  on  this  basis  has 
been  rapid  and  creditable,  although  subject  to  a  disadvantage  springing 
from  the  topographical  character  of  the  city;  in  that  it  is  divided  into 
three  widely  separated  areas,  the  North,  the  South  and  the  West  Sides, 
by  the  main  river  and  its  sprawling  north  and  south  branches.  Adjoin-  of  omm* 

•  1  •  -1  t  1-  j-    .          •  tionsbythe 

ing  the  mam  river  are  some  square  miles  ot  solid  business  streets.  bre- 
Along  the  banks  of  each  branch  are  long  lines  of  the  sordid  and  rather 
squalid  growth  which  is  inevitable  to  commercial  water-ways.  Far  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  region  thus  useless  for  society  are  three  "  centers/' 
of  social  life;  three  large  cities  instead  of  the  one  very  great  one  which 
alone  could  make  the  full  and  adequate  tabernacle  of  culture,  art,  fash- 
ion and  luxury  for  a  rich  metropolis  of  a  million  and-a-quarter  of  inhab- 
itants; for  the  Chicago  of  1891.  The  day  will  come  when  one  or  other  N 
of  these  three  will  take  its  unquestioned  place  as  the  Holy  of  Holies 
for  worshipers  at  the  shrine  of  "good  society."  In  the  meantime  the 
lingering  provincialism  of  the  three  smaller  circles  is  not  without  its 
compensating  advantages.  As  social  life  grows  in  magnificence  and 


335 


336 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Hospitality  and 
Benevolence. 


None  rich  by 
inheritance. 


splendor,  it  loses  the  gentler  graces  of  youth  and  simplicity;  graces  which 
still  flourish  in  Chicago,  associated  with  a  degree  of  gay  hospitality  and 
inclusiveness  which  it  will  lose  when  exclusiveness  shall  be  forced  upon 
it  by  metropolitan  proportions  and  aristocratic  aspiration. 

Unquestionably,  some  of  the  most  hospitable  and  benevolent  people 
in  the  world  live  in  Chicago.  Their  houses,  their  opera-boxes,  their  car- 
riages, their  luxuries  of  all  kinds  are  kept  for  the  use  of  their  friends  as 
well  as  themselves.  The  city  is  not  yet  old  enough  (especially  since 
the  Fire)  to  have  lost  the  personal  love  and  pride  of  its  citizens.  No 
Newport  competes  with  it  for  their  devotion.  London,  Paris,  Rome 


HENRY  W.  KING. 


WIRT  DEXTER. 


and  Berlin  are  all  very  well  to  visit — with  Chicago  as  a  line  of  retreat 
and  base  of  supply. 

The  thing  to  be  borne  in  mind  in  studying  Chicago  social  phenom- 
ena, is  the  fact  that  all  the  riches  of  the  community  are  still  in  the 
hands  of  the  men  who  have,  by  labor,  power,  good  luck  and  good  man- 
agement, earned  and  won  them.  Not  one  of  the  hundreds  of  million- 
aires, and  scarcely  one  of  the  thousands  of  smaller  fortune-holders,  is 
rich  by  inheritance.  Each  has  earned  and  counted  his  dollars  as  they 
came  in.  Therefore,  when  he  is  economical  he  krows  it,  when  he  is 
extravagant  he  knows  it,  when  he  is  (as  he  very  often  is)  liberal,  hos- 
pitable, charitable,  generous, — even  lavish — he  knows  it  all  the  time. 
Let  him  (as  he  constantly  does)  travel  abroad  en  prince,  give  great 
sums  to  the  cultivation  of  the  arts,  entertain  his  friends  with  unbounded 
hospitality,  endow  charities,  colleges  and  churches  splendidly  ;  he  does 


SOCIAL   RE-ORGANIZA  TION. 


337 


it  all  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  value  of  money  and  a  keen  enjoyment 
in  the  use  of  it  for  the  benefit  of  others.  It  is  not  "  easy  come,  easy 
go  "  with  him  ;  it  is  the  deliberate  outlay  of  hard  won  wealth,  keeping  a 
proper  application  of  means  to  ends ;  so  that  no  matter  how  much  is 
paid  or  given,  nothing  is  wasted. 

If  the  true  Chicagoan  allows  himself,  in  his  general  good  nature 
and  tolerance,  to  hate  anyone,  it  is  the  man  who,  having  found  Chicago 
a  good  enough  place  to  make  a  fortune  in,  looks  for  some  better  place 
wherein  to  enjoy  it.  There  have  been  a  few  such,  but  their  memory 
is  not  fragrant  in  their  old  home.  The  question  naturally  arises  :  "  If 


EDWIN  C.  LARNED. 


JOSEPH  T.  RYERSON. 


Absenteeism 
not  favored. 


Chicago  is  deficient  in  any  of  the  arts  and  graces,  why  not  stay  and 
help  remove  the  imperfection  ?"  And  this  is  the  course  most  of  her 
children  are  pursuing  with  great  pleasure  and  great  success. 

"  With  age  our  faults  diminish,  while  our  vices  increase."  It  is  to 
be  feared — not  hoped — that  when  the  three  big  social  circles  shall  have 
merged  into  one,  these  youthful  exuberances  will  disappear  and  be 
replaced  by  the  more  dignified,  self-centered,  aristocratic  characteristics 
of  the  communities  full  of  inherited  fortunes,  where  luxury  and  idleness 
are  taken  as  the  natural  endowment  of  the  "upper  ten  thousand" 
instead  of  the  reward  of  labor  well  done,  and  of  brave  fighting  in  the 
battle  of  life. 

The  old-world  "  nobility"  which  "  draws  the  line  "  at  any  trade  or 
profession  where  money  is  to  be  made  ;  the  supercilious  indifference  to 
all  things  and  persons  outside  a  narrow  pale  ;  to  all  labor  and  usefulness 


One  circle  in 
the  far  future 


33* 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


No  tr 


except  as  it  is  the  labor  of  outsiders,  useful 
sources  of  their  luxury  so  long  as 
the  luxury  itself  is  unstinted  ;  this 
"nobility  "is  beyond  the  scope  of 
the  present  generation  of  Chica- 
?rarcy  m'c'ht  goans.  They  know  how  hard  they 
*"''  themselves  or  their  fathers  have 
worked  and  are  not  ashamed  of  it. 
And  just  now  it  seems  more  prob- 
able that  the  "  great  world  "  will 
come  to  their  way  sooner  than 
they  will  go  to  its  way. 

Social  clubs  are  later  develop- 
ments of  the  change  wrought  by 
the  Fire.  In  Chicago  as  else- 
where, they  are  a  mixture  of  good 
Dcv.ub°pmentofand  evil.  As  an  elevating  and 
brightening  influence  for  men  with- 
out families,  they  seem  indispens- 
able to  modern  city  life  ;  as  an  influence 


to  the  chosen  few,  to  all  the 


ART  INSTITUTE,  FORTNIGHTLY  AND  LITERARY  CLUB. 

ures  ;  but  behind  its  front  doors,  from  the 


DR.  HOSMER  A.  JOHNSON. 

adverse  to  the  taking  up  of 
family  cares,  and  a  drawback 
to  home  purity,  integrity, 
happiness  and  sufficiency, 
they  are  disastrous.  Of  all 
Anglo-Saxon  true  nobility 
and  stability,  the  home,  the 
ancestral  homestead,  the 
household,  the  fireside,  and 
the  family,  are  the  root,  the 
trunk,  the  branches,  the 
flower  and  the  fruit.  The 
best  of  clubs  is  that  which 
a  fortunate  man  gathers 
about  his  own  hearthstone, 
his  wife  and  children  being 
his  fellow- members.  The 
true  glory  of  Chicago  is  to 
be  found,  not  in  its  parks 
and  boulevards,  stock-yards, 
elevators,  factories,  banks, 
newspapers,  shipping,  rail- 
roads or  sky-scraping  struct- 
proudest  to  the  humblest. 


SOCIAL   RE-ORGAN  I /.A  TION. 


339 


Between  churches  and  social  clubs,  as  nuclei  of  gregarious  human- 
ity, no  philanthropist,  whether  churchman  or  not,  can  hesitate  to 
give  the  preference  to  the  churches.  They  tend  to  unselfishness 
instead  of  mere  pleasure,  to  cultivation  instead  of  mere  amusement, 
to  "  faith,  hope  and  charity,"  instead  of  (possible)  dissipation.  Above 
all,  they  make  no  invidious  distinction  between  the  sexes  ;  they  seek 
to  enfold  man,  woman  and  child  in  happy  and  virtuous  communion. 

The  earliest  of  the  great  ^^^^==^^^^^^«|^^^^^^^^^HM^MI 
clubs,  properly  so  called  (as  I 
distinguished  from  socie- 
ties organized  for  special 
purposes,  such  as  music, 
dancing,  athletics,  etc.)  was 
the  Chicago  Club,  chartered 
March  25,  1869;  with  Ezra 
B.  McCagg  as  the  first 
president.  Almost  at  the 
same  time  (April  5,  1869) 
the  Standard,  specially  in- 
stituted by  Jewish  citizens, 
was  incorporated,  its  first 
president  being  E.  Frank- 
enthal.  The  third  in  order 
of  precedence  is  "The  Fort- 
nightly," organized  June  4, 
1873.  Its  object  is  the  in- 
tellectual and  social  cult- 
ture  of  women.  Mrs.  Kate 
Newell  Doggett  was  its 
prime  mover  and  its  first 
president.  Its  meetings  oc- 
cur on  alternate  Fridays  of 
the  Spring,  Autumn  and 
Winter  months.  At  each 
there  is  an  essay,  discus- 


UNION   LEAGUE  CLUB. 


ard 


sion,  reading  or   concert.     At  this  present  writing  (1891)  the    I- rort- T1J=ecsht'ac»|; 
nightly  is  approaching  its  three  hundredth  successive  meeting ;  and  has   *$,{!£  Foft" 
at  least  a  fair  showing  of  right  to  accept  the  position  attributed  to  it 
by  an  English  visitor,  that  of  "  the  greatest  of  women's  clubs  of  its 
kind  in  the  world." 

Next   came  the   Chicago   Literary    Club,   organized  in    1874,  for 
"  social,  literary    and   aesthetic   culture."     Its    first   president   was    the 


340 


THE   STORY    OF  CHICAGO. 


The  Literary. 


The  Union. 


The  Illinois. 


The  Union 
League. 


Rev.  Robert  Collyer.  Every  Monday  evening  (except  in  summer)  it 
meets  in  its  handsome  rooms  overlooking  Lake  Michigan,  for  an  essay, 
conversation  or  reception,  and  now  (1891),  in  its  seventeenth  year,  is 
holding  its  fifth  hundred  of  consecutive  sessions.  (It  is  characteristic 
of  Chicago's  newness  that  such  a  space  of  time  is  cherished  as  ven- 
erable, rock-rooted  antiquity  and  stability.) 

The  Union  Club  was  organized  in  1878,  Henry  W.  Bishop  betng 
its  first  president.  This  is  the  North  Side  club,  being  finely  located 
on  Washington  Square. 


THE   UNION'   CLUB   HOUSE. 


The  Illinois  Club  was  chartered  April  26,  1878,  its  first  president 
being  John  G.  Rogers.  The  Illinois  is  the  West  Side  social  club,  its 
home  being  on  Ashland  Avenue,  between  Monroe  and  Adams  Streets. 

The  first  club  to  unite  political  with  social  aims  was  the  Union 
League.  Though  the  name  "  Republican  "  was  not  used  in  its  pro- 
gramme, yet  the  phraseology  was  so  framed  as  to  emphasize  the  prin- 
ciples which  had  been  the  groundwork  of  that  party,  and  which  had 
called  it  into  being ;  and  it  is  recognized  as  a  Republican  stronghold. 
It  was  organized  in  1879,  with  Lewis  L.  Coburn  as  its  first  president. 
Its  club-house,  facing  the  government  building  from  the  south,  is  the 
most  imposing  of  all  in  the  city. 


SOCIAL   RE-ORGANIZA  TION. 


341 


The  Iroquois  Club  was  the  next  to  recognize  party  distinctions. 
It  was  organized  by  leading  members  of  the  Democratic  party  in  1880, 
its  first  president  being  Perry  H.  Smith,  Jr. 

These  are  the  leading  clubs  of  the  city  dating  earlier  than  1880, 
leaving  out  of  view  those  which  have  no  permanent  abiding-place,  or 
are  devoted  to  the  interests  of  citizens  coming  from  some  particular 
state  or  foreign  nation,  or  to  the  study  of  some  particular  art,  science, 
or  accomplishment.  Their  comparatively  rapid  growth  in  the  years 
following  the  fire  is 
a  mark  of  the 


The  Iroquois. 


great 


'metropolitan  change 
which  was  one  of  the 
conspicuous  conse- 
quences of  that  mo- 
mentous cataclysm. 

When  a  Chica- 
goan  turns  to  the 
purely  benevolent, 
philanthropic  and  pa- 
triotic side  of  his 
city  he  finds  much  to 
be  proud  of.  True, 
there  are  other  cities 
where  more  money 
is  invested  in  public 
charities  —  or  rather 
private  charities  for 
public  use  --  larger 
and  more  numerous 
endowments  and 
foundations  ;  but 
none  where,  within 
the  same  space  of 
time,  anything  like 
an  equal  sum  has  been  given ;  and  it  has  come  mostly  from  living  men, 
who  have  themselves  earned  and  saved  what  they  gave. 

The  Relief  and  Aid  Society,  so  fully  spoken  of  in  connection  with 

i        <•*  .     T^<  .        «   i  T.  .  r  •.     Relief  and  Aid 

the  Great  r  ire,  was  organized  in   1857.     To  mention  the  names  of  its   society. 
incorporators   is   somewhat  like   writing  a  directory  of  leading  "  Old 
Citizens."      They  were  Edwin   C.   Lamed,  Mark  Skinner,   Edward  I. 
Tinkham,  Joseph  D.  Webster,  Joseph  T.  Ryerson,    Isaac  N.  Arnold, 
Norman    B.    Judd,    John   H.    Dunham,     A.    H.    Mueller,    Samuel    S. 


CALUMET   CLUB. 


342 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Its  most 
devoted 
servants. 


Home  for  tne 
Friendless. 


Greeley,  B.  F.  Cook,  N.  S.  Davis,  George  W.  Dole,  George  M.  Higgin- 
son,  John  H.  Kinzie,  John  Woodbridge,  Jr.,  Erastus  S.  Williams,  Philo 
Carpenter,  George  W.  Gage,  S.  S.  Hayes,  Henry  Farnham,  William 
H.  Brown,  Philip  J.  Wardner  and  others. 

In  the  work  following  the  fire  (October  18,  1871,  to  April  20,  1873, 
in  which  space  of  time  relief  was  extended  to  the  extent  of  $8,923,400) 
the  great  mass  of  free,  unpaid  supervision  was  exercised  by  Henry  W. 
King,  Wirt  Dexter,  Edwin  C.  Larned,  T.  M.  Avery,  T.  W.  Harvey 
Charles  G.  Hammond,  Nathaniel  K.  Fairbank,  Dr.  H.  A.  Johnson,  J. 
McGregor  Adams,  Ezra  B.  McCagg,  the  Rev.  Robert  Laird  Collier  and 

others too  valuable  to  be  forgotten,  but  too  numerous  to  be  named 

here.  It  is  with  extreme  regret  that  this  inestimable  benevolence  is 
here  dismissed  with  words  so  few  and  inadequate.  A  chapter  would 
scarcely  do  it  greater  justice  in  proportion  to  its  deserts.  Those  who 
desire  a  more  complete  appreciation  of  the  possibilities  of  charity  and 
knowledge  of  how  to  apply  wisely  immense  means  to  an  immense 

object,  should  buy  the  handsome 
volume  comprising  the  Society's 
Report  for  1874,  written  by  Sidney 
Howard  Gay  and  published  by 
Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston. 
In  1858  the  Home  for  the 
Friendless  was  organized.  The 
names  of  the  incorporators,  being 
those  of  women,  are  less  known 
though  not  less  notable  than  those 
connected  with  the  Relief  and  Aid. 
They  are  Martha  A.  Wilson,  Ada- 
line  R.  Judd,  Julia  Dole,  Julia  A. 
Warner,  Anna  M.  Gibbs,  Marga- 
retta  Varian,  Margaret  M.  Gilman, 
Jane  C.  Hoge,  Adaline  C.  Morgan, 
Lavinia  Morris,  Maria  Excern, 
Emily  S.  Roy,  Minerva  Botsford 
and  Emma  F.  Haines.  Jonathan  Burr  was  the  greatest  benefactor  of 
the  institution,  both  during  life  and  by  bequest;  and  George  Smith  and 
Flavel  Moseley  were  also  among  the  early  supporters. 

The  Nursery  and  Half-Orphan  Asylum  began  in  1859,  when,  as 
Mrs.  Samuel  Howe  and  a  few  other  ladies  under- 
took the  task  of  maintaining  a  day  school  for  little  ones  whose  mothers 
were  unable  to  care  for  them  during  working  hours."  From  this  small 
beginning  grew  up  a  great  charity..  In  1869  it  received  $17,000, 


JOHN  I..  HEVEREDGE. 


Nursery  and 
Half-Orphan 

Capt.  Andreas  says, 


SOCIAL   RE-ORGANIZATION. 


343 


bequeathed  by  the  sainted  Jonathan  Burr;  and  William  B.  Ogden,  with  a 
few  others,  endowed  it  with  a  large  lot  on  the  corner  of  North  Franklin 
and  Burling  Streets,  where  its  asylum  still  stands.  At  the  Great  Fire 
it  was  not  finished,  but  the  children,  driven  from  their  former  refuge, 
were  huddled  there  for  shelter — then  carried  further  on  the  approach  of 
the  flames — then  returned  there  ;  for  the  destruction  had  halted  two 
squares  away  ! 

The  Old  Ladies'  Home  was  begun  in  1861  by  Miss  Caroline  Smith. 
Upon  Miss  Smith's  death  she  bequeathed  to  it  $1,000,  and  also 
devised  to  it  two  lots  on  Wabash  Avenue,  near  35th  Street.  Its  perma- 
nent home  is  in  Indiana  Street,  near  27th.  The  Society  was  incorpor- 
ated in  1865  by  Benjamin  W.  Raymond,  O.  H.  Tiffany,  George  D. 
Cummings,  W.  W.  Everts,  F.  W.  Fisk,  William  H.  Ryder,  Jonathan 
Young  Scammon,  Robert  Collyer,  Mark  Kimball  and  S.  P.  Farrington. 

The  Chicago  Historical  Society  seems,  in  the  view  of  a  writer 
of  history,  to  deserve  a  chapter  to 
itself,  so  grand  is  its  aim  and  so 
laborious  and  painstaking  have 
been  the  efforts  of  its  faithful 
friends.  Its  prime  mover  was  the 
Rev.  William  Barry,  who  started 
it  in  1856.  Again  do  we  seem  to 
be  making  a  list  of  early  Chicago 
worthies  as  we  copy  the  names 
of  the  incorporators.  William  H. 
Brown  (president),  Wm.  B.  Ogden 
and  J.  Young  Scammon  (vice-pres- 
idents), S.  D.  Ward  (treasurer), 
William  Barry  (recording  secre- 
tary and  librarian),  Charles  S.  Ray 
(corresponding  secretary),  Mark 
Skinner,  M.  Brayman,  Isaac  N. 
Arnold,  George  Manierre,  John  H. 
Kinzie,  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney,  Edward  I.  Tinkham,  Joseph  D.  Webster,  W.  A. 
Smallwood,  Van  H.  Higgins,  N.  S.  Davis,  Mahlon  D.  Ogden,  F.  Scam- 
mon and  Ezra  B.  McCagg.  (Of  all  these,  only  four  are  alive  at  the 
present  writing,  1891.)  The  devoted  services  of  its  friends  managed,  in 
the  first  fifteen  years  of  its  life,  to  accumulate  a  mass  of  historical  treas- 
ure. There  were  some  20,000  volumes,  1,738  files  of  early  newsppers, 
4,689  manuscripts  (including  the  entire  Kinzie  collection),  portraits  of 
noted  men  of  early  times  in  the  West,  and  last,  but  not  least,  the  original 
draft  of  Lincoln's  Emancipation  Proclamation  !  These  call  a  glow  to 


Old  Ladies' 
Home. 


WM.  BARRY. 


Historical 
Society. 


344 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


The  Athe- 
naeum. 


the  heart,  only  to  be  followed  by  a  spasm  of  pain,  for  every  vestige  of 
them  all  was  destroyed  in  the  Great  Fire.  After  this  disaster  many 
friends  sent  boxes  of  books  addressed  to  the  society,  which  were  stored, 
awaiting  some  movement  for  rehabilitation  ;  and  again,  in  the  Fire  of 
July,  1874,  these,  too,  were  burned. 

If  this  had  been  all,  it  seems  impossible  that  even  such  faithfulness 
as  theirs  could  have  survived  in  the  hearts  of  its  friends  ;  but  there  were 
funds,  which  must  be  administered,  notably  the  "Gilpin  Fund,"  which 
was  a  sum  of  money  bequeathed  by  Henry  D.  Gilpin,  of  Philadelphia, 
(Solicitor  of  the  Treasury  in  1839),  which,  with  accumulations,  amounted 
in  1874  to  over  $72,000.  There  were  also  debts  to  be  paid,  so  it  was : 

"  Once  more  into  the  breach,  dear  friends, 
once  more," 

and  E.  H.  Sheldon,  B.  F.  Culver, 
Geo.  F.  Rumsey,  Isaac  N.  Arnold, 
George  L.  Dunlap,  W.  S.  John- 
son, Levi  Z.  Leiter,  Mark  Skinner-, 
Julian  S.  Rumsey,  J.  S.  Waterman, 
E.  T.  Watkins,  Charles  B.  Farwell, 
John  Wentworth,  Jonathan  Young 
Scammon  and  others  put  their 
weary  and  burthened  shoulders  to 
the  wheel  and  lifted  it  out  of  the 
Slough  of  Despond.  At  this 
present  writing  (1891)  it  has  gotten 
together  a  new  lot  of  treasures, 
though,  alas  !  still  in  mourning  for 
the  old.  They  are  now  stored  in 
an  old,  low,  one-story  "  fire-trap," 
but  the  funds  of  the  Society  have  accumulated  to  over  $110,000,  and 
the  new,  permanent,  fire-proof  building  will  very  shortly  take  shape  and 
substance. 

The  Athenaeum  is  an  institution  most  creditable  to  Chicago,  and 
one  of  the  most  admirable  in  the  world.  It  is  quite  independent  of 
sects — except  as  unsectarianism  is  itself  stigmatized  as  a  sect — and 
enjoys  the  support  and  honor  of  liberal  men  of  all  creeds  and  professions. 
It  is  devoted  to  the  dissemination  of  useful  knowledge,  and  this  it  does 
through  a  reading-room  and  library,  a  gymnasium,  with  bath-rooms,  etc., 
and  eight  class-rooms.  In  these,  nearly  a  thousand  pupils  are  taught 
each  year,  at  charges  which  barely  cover  the  mere  cost,  for  it  is  not  a 
charity  school.  Every  beneficiary  pays  something,  however  small. 

The  existence  of  the  Athenaeum  dates  from  the  very  month  of  the 


REV.  CLINTON  LOCKE. 


SO  CIA  L   RE-ORGANIZA  TION. 


345 


Great  Fire.  To  quote  from  its  report :  "  Then  the  fairest  portion  of  the 
city  lay  in  ashes,  and  it  was  this  great  calamity  that  prompted  a  few 
earnest  spirits  to  plant  amidst  the  ruins  an  institution  which  should  help 
to  build  up  true  manhood  as  the  best  criterion  of  progress." 

The  Athenaeum  is  allied  with  the  Mechanics'  Institute,  quite  the 
oldest  of  Chicago  benevolent  associations,  dating,  as  it  does,  from  1843. 

The  religious  charities  of  Chicago  are  beyond  count.  Each  church 
is  in  itself  a  vast  benevolence,  and  each  has  some  one  or  more  separate 
dependent  charities,  whether  reformatory,  educational,  or  simply 
humane. 

One,  destined  to  reach  immense  proportions,  not  confined  to  any 
one  denomination  (though  largely  composed  of  Methodists),  was  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion. It  was  started  as  early  as 
1858,  under  the  leadership  of  Cyrus 
Bentley,  Henry  Howland,  John 
V,  Farwell,  T.  M.  Avery,  E.  W. 
Blatchford,  and  others.* 

This  great  agency  for  scrength- 
ening  the  weak,  raising  the  fallen, 
finding  work  for  the  strong  and 
bread  for  the  weak,  has  never 
ceased  it  blessed  ministrations  for 
a  single  day,  through  fire  and  trial 
of  all  kinds,  through  the  days  of 
danger  and  suffering,  and  the  still 
more  perilous  times  of  prosperity 
and  indifference.  It,  with  its  con- 
genial and  connected  Young  Men's 
Christian  Temperance  Association, 
Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  and  other  allied  societies, 
has  done  a  mass  of  public  service  which  defies  the  power  of  imagination. 

The  Illinois  Humane  Society  has  for  its  motto  the  gentle  words 
"  We  speak  for  those  who  can  not  speak  for  themselves."  It  was  incor- 
porated March  25,  1869,  by  George  C.  Walker,  Thomas  B.  Bryan,  Julian 
S.  Rumsey,  Belden  F.  Culver,  I.  N.  Wilcox,  and  T.  D.  Brown.  The 
objects  of  the  Society  were  the  pledging  of  the  State  to  the  protection 
of  its  children  and  animals  from  unnecessary  cruelty,  and  the  enforce- 
ment of  such  laws  in  that  behalf  as  might  be  enacted.  It  is  an  honor- 
able mark  of  any  time  and  place  that  such  laws  exist,  that  such  societies 
have  their  administration  in  charge  and  that  public  sentiment  is  in 

•The  far-famed  Dwight  L,.  Moody  began  his  work,  a  very  young  man,  in  this  association,  and,  gathering  strength 
by  the  use  of  his  abilities,   graduated  from  it  to  be  the  great  power  for  good  he  later  became  and  still  is  (1891). 


Young  Men's 
Christian  As- 
sociation. 


EDWARD  I.  TINKHAM. 


Humane 
Society. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

sympathy  with  them.  At  this  time  (1891)  its  president  and  untiring 
supporter  is  John  G.  Shortall. 

The  Great  Secret  Societies,  Free  Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  etc.,  have 
their  favorite  field  in  Chicago.  Here  they  exercise  all  their  benevolent 

^societies.  and  ennobling  influence,  and  mould  and  sway  an  innumerable  host  of 
the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  land.  A  mere  catalogue  of  their  Lodges, 
Posts,  Circles,  Encampments,  etc.,  would  fill  a  page  of  our  Story.  The 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  had  its  origin  in  Illinois  and  has  in  Chicago 
its  largest  or  nearly  largest  "stamping  ground"  and  the  largest  Post 

union  war      (No.  ';,  the  "George   H.  Thomas")  in    the  whole    organization.     The 

Veterans.          \  *J'  o 

Veteran  Union  League,  the  Union  Veteran  Club,  the  Military  Order  of 
the  Loyal  Legion,  and  many  veteran  regimental  societies,  are  all  strong, 
well  ordered  and  flourishing  mementoes  of  the  War  for  the  Union. 

The  Art  Institute  is  perhaps 
the  most  distinguished,  successful 
and  prosperous  of  all  the  undertak- 
ings for  advanced  culture  which 
exist  in  Chicago.  It  is  the  succes- 
sor of  the  Academy  of  Design, 
which  was  organized  in  1866,  and 
which,  in  1869,  was  incorporated 
by  E.  B.  McCagg  and  others.  The 
Academy  included  among  its  mem- 
bers some  artists  of  world -wide 
reputation,  notably  George  P.  A. 
Healy,  whose  long  course  of 
splendid  work,  beginning  in  1836, 
and  continuing  even  to  the  present 
writing  (1891  ),  places  him  easily  in 
G.  P.  A.  HEALY.  the  front  rank  of  portrait-painters 

of  this  country.     The  fire,  destroying  at  once  nearly  all  the  art  products 
and  quite  all  the  demand  for  art,  was  a  terrible  blow  to  the  Academy 
The  Art         and   t'le   ^na^   re30'1   was   tne    institution,  in  1879,  °f  a  new  Society, 
institute.      with  the  same  general  purpose  of  the  old. 

The  new  enterprise,  the  "  Art  Institute,"  was  incorporated  by  Mar- 
shall Field,  Murry  Nelson,  Charles  D.  Hamill,  Ferd  W.  Peck  and 
George  E.  Adams.  By  slow,  strong  and  steady  steps  it  reached  a 
height  of  achievement  scarcely  hoped  for  by  its  founders,  having  a 
splendid  building  overlooking  Lake  Michigan,  a  magnificent  collection 
of  pictures,  ancient  and  modern  (owned  by  the  Institute  or  loaned  to 
it),  a  large  and  flourishing  school  of  design,  and,  better  than  all,  a  corps 
of  strong  and  devoted  friends,  proud  of  its  progress  hitherto  and 


SOCIAL   RE-ORGANIZA  TION. 


347 


resolved  upon  still  greater  advance  in  the  future.  Among  them  are 
Charles  L.  Hutchinson,  Edson  Keith,  Lyman  J.  Gage,  James  H.  Dole, 
Charles  D.  Hamill,  W.  F.  Blair,  W.  T.  Baker,  D.  W.  Irwin.  E.  W. 
Blatchford,  N.  K.  Fairbank,  O.  S.  A.  Sprague,  H.  N.  Hibbard,  George 
E.  Adams,  S.  M.  Nickerson,  Levi  Z.  Leiter,  Marshall  Field,  Lambert 
Tree  and  John  C.  Black.  William  M.  R.  French  is  Director  of  Schools 
and  Galleries,  and  to  his  artistic  ability,  his  business  capacity  and  his  fine 
personal  qualities  is  attributable  an  incalculable  proportion  of  the 
remarkable  success  of  the  great  institution. 

The  Art  Institute  has  265  "  governing  members,"  5  "  honorary  mem- 
bers," and  2,070  "  annual  members."  Its  students  number  from  500  to 
700  a  year.  In  his  report  for  1890,  Director  French  observes: 

It  is  an  extraordinary  fact  in  our  history  that  the  Art  Institute  has  never  had  any  endowment, 
has  never  received  any  bequests,  and  has  never 
required  contributions  for  current  expenses. 
The  only  considerable  gifts  have  been  to  the 
building  fund  and  collections.  While  almost  al 
the  other  museums  of  the  country  have  at  least 
received  the  privilege  of  building  upon  public 
land,  the  Art  Institute  has  bought  all  its  real 
estate.  The  regular  sources  of  income,  aside 
from  gifts,  are  membership  fees,  exhibition 
receipts,  tuition  fees,  and  rents.  .  .  .  The 
expenses  of  the  Museum  for  the  last  year  have 
been  $25,559.53.  The  earnings  of  the  Museum 
have  been  $26.010.35.  The  expenses  of  the 
school  were  $12,315.25,  and  the  earnings  $14," 
881.13.  The  expenses  of  the  library  were 
$674.04,  and  the  receipts  $831.42. 

Like  other  young  cities,  Chi- 
cago has  been  better  as  a  market 
for  art  produced  elsewhere,  than  as 
a  place  for  the  production  of  salable 
work.  A  conspicuous  and  unmistak- 
able mark  of  provincialism  is  lack  ENOCH  WARD,  Artist,  now  of  London. 
of  confidence  in  one's  own  judgment,  in  social,  artistic  and  literary  mat- 
ters. Every  new  community  looks  to  an  older  one  for  guidance  in  these 
respects.  "A  prophet  is  not  without  honor  save  in  his  own  country," 
and  a  Western  man  or  woman  who  does  anything  worthy  of  honor  must, 
ordinarily,  look  for  recognition  in  some  older  community  before  he  or 
she  can  enjoy  it  at  home.  The  home-bred  author,  painter,  etc.,  finds  his 
home  fame  dependent  on  what  New  York,  Boston  and  Philadelphia 
critics  say  about  him.  This  reminds  one  of  a  story  familiar  in  army 
circles:  It  is  a  well  known  military  principle  that  "any  fortress  can  be 
taken  if  the  assailant  be  strong  enough."  A  certain  instructor,  who  had 
inculcated  this  lesson  on  his  class,  asked*  later  on,  what  would  be  the 
best  expedient  for  the  defence  in  a  given  case,  to  which  a  bright  student 


Chicago  as  an 
art  centre  and 
art  market. 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


replied:  ''Move  out;  get  the  assailant  inside,  and  then  defeat  him."  So, 
in  matters  of  taste  in  a  provincial  city,  it  can  more  readily  be  captured 
from  without  than  from  within.  These  remarks  apply  to  Chicago,  par- 
ticularly, during  "  the  seventies." 


While     Chicago    was    experiencing     great    triumphs    and    great 
reverses,  places  just  below  her  horizon  were  going  on  in  the  even  tenor 

A  (fiance  back  o  » 

:  of  their  way.  The  following  sketch  in  the  quiet  life  of  one  of  those 
localities  was  crowded  out  of  the  page  in  "  the  thirties,"  where  it  might 
more  appropriately  have  found  a  place;  but  it  perhaps  fits  here  well 


atat 
time  an 
place. 


P.  H.  HOLDEN. 


MRS.  BETSEY  (PARKER)  HOLDEN. 


enough  as  a  ''  foil  "  to  the  great  things  which  were  happening  "  so  near 
and  yet  so  far;"  for  the  glare  of  the  Great  Fire  was  quite  visible  from 
the  place  in  question. 

A  few  miles  from  the  Israel  Blodgett  settlement  on  the  DuPage 
is  the  inappropriately  named  "  Skunk's  Grove,"  on  Hickory  Creek. 
Hither  came  the  parents  of  Charles  C.  P.  Holden,  already  mentioned; 
Phineas,  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1792,  and  Betsey  (Parker) 
Holden,  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1793.  They  arrived  in  Chicago, 
June  30,  1836,  and  put  up  for  a  short  time  at  the  old  Green  Tree 
House,  the  first  shelter  of  so  many  Chicagoans.  (It  still  exists  and 
should  be  placed  in  some  appropriate  spot  and  custody  for  long  years 
of  future  preservation.) 


SOCIAL   RE-ORGANIZATION. 


349 


Naturally,  being  farmers,  they  liked  not  at  all  the  little,  dirty,  dis- 
orderly, squalid  trading-post,  and  were  very  glad  to  find  such  a  garden- 
spot  as  the  DuPage  Valley,  a  leafy  forest  meandering  through  grassy 
prairies.  Here  they  lived,  prospered,  grew  old,  died  and  are  buried; 
another  grafting  on  the  young  West  of  old  New  England  strength. 

A  curious  anecdote  is  told  by  C.  C.  P.    Holden,  illustrating  the 
habitual  and  affectionate  reference  (more  frequently  made  then  than 
now)  to  the  charters  of  our  liberties.     At  a  celebration — Independence 
Day,  probably — there  was  a  gathering  at  "the  Grove,"  and  loud  calls  The  Deciara- 
were  made  for  the  reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.     For  a  pe"den«read 
time  no  copy  could  be  found,  as  books,  whether  of  law  or  of  history,   handkerchief. 
were  still  a  rare  possession.     At  last  the  deficiency  was  supplied,  the 
desired  scripture  was  found ;   where  does  one  suppose  ?    Printed  on  a 
woman's  pocket-handkerchief! 


RESIDENCE  OF  GENERAL  TORRENCE;    LAKE   SHORE   DRIVE. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


PANIC    OF    l8/;. 


R  uins  of  twen 
ty-nine  bank- 
ing-houses. 


Only  one  safe 
failed  in  its 
duly. 


Consternation 
first  and  de- 
liberation 
next. 


WHISKY     RINC;. 


FIRE    OF     1874. 

IGHTEEN  of  the  nineteen  Chicago  Na- 
tional banks  were  burned  in  the  Great  Fire, 
together  with  eleven  other  banks,  includ- 
ing savings-banks.  Twenty-nine  piles  of 
ruins  confronted,  on  Tuesday  morning, 
the  eyes  of  bankers,  depositors  and  pub- 
lic. Perhaps  no  more  fearful  suspense 
can  be  imagined  than  the  state  of  mind 
with  which  the  slow  cooling  of  these  piti- 
ful heaps  of  chaos  were  watched.  It  was 
at  once  evident  that  the  contents  of  the 
Sub-treasury  were  hopelessly  lost;  what 
better  chance  had  the  private  hoards  ?  One 
by  one  the  vaults  were  reached  and  opened. 
Great  care  was  needed;  for  in  at  least  one 
case,  where  air  was  admitted  before  the  inside  temperature  was  suffici- 
ently lowered,  the  whole  contents,  though  safe  till  then,  burst  into  a 
blaze.  Great  care  was  used;  in  fact  the  operation  of  opening  was,  in 
most  cases,  a  job,  not  for  the  cashier  with  keys  or  combination,  but  for 
a  blacksmith  with  sledge-hammer  and  chisel. 

Only  one  serious  loss  occurred  ;  that  of  the  bank  of  Lazarus  Silver- 
man,  whose  safe,  containing  $50,000  in  gold  and  currency,  was  destroyed. 
The  safety  of  the  others  was  due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  universally 
built  into  brick  vaults,  the  foundations  whereof  rested  on  the  solid  earth. 
No  "safe,"  elevated  above  the  ground  and  liable  to  fall  into  a  bed  of 
coals  when  the  floor  beneath  it  should  burn  away,  could  be  counted  on. 
The  trouble  in  the  case  of  the  Sub-treasury  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
brick  vault  was  held  up  clear  of  the  ground  by  iron  pillars,  supporting 
bars  of  railway  iron,  which  bent  when  hot  and  let  the  whole  mass  fall  in 
ruins. 

Two  days  delay  was  enough — Monday  for  consternation  and  Tues- 
day for  deliberation.  On  Wednesday  a  meeting  was  held  at  Standard 
Hall,  Wabash  Avenue,  presided  over  by  W.  F.  Coolbaugh,  President  of 
the  Union  National  Bank,  and  all  resolved  on  starting  again  as  soon  as 
each  could  find  a  place  to  start  in.  Before  that  night  half  of  them  had 
secured  quarters  of  some  kind  ;  a  parlor  on  Wabash  or  Michigan  Ave- 

350 


PANIC  OF  1873.     FIRE  OF  i874.      WHISKY  RING. 


351 


nue,  or  the  cross-streets  between  them  ;  a  room  or  two  in  some  of  the 
small  buildings  on  the  old  "  Wolf's  Point,"  west  of  the  forks  of  the  river, 
or  some  other  place  where  clerks  and  tellers  could  sit  or  stand,  and 
where  customers  could  apply  for  cash  or  drafts,  or  could  bring  cash  for 
deposit.  This  last  may  seem  to  be  an  unnecessary  provision,  but  not  so. 
The  deposits  came  in  faster  than  they  were  drawn  out,  almost  from  the 
very  start. 

On  Thursday  most  of  the  banks  had  recovered,  or  were  recovering, 
the  contents  of  their  vaults,  and  it  was  publicly  given  out  that  all  deposi- 
tors could  have  fifteen  per  cent,  of  their  funds  on  demand — savings 
banks  paying  in  full  all  demands  not  exceeding  twenty  dollars  by  one 
person.  By  the  next  Tuesday  (i7th  of  October),  most  of  the  institu- 
tions had  begun  paying  all  de- 
mands in  full.  Andreas  (3  Hist. 
Chic.,  434)  says : 

The  deposits  exceeded  the  drafts,  even 
with  the  Savings-banks.  Among  the  causes  of 
this  fact  may  be  named  the  circumstance  that 
large  sums  of  money  were  forwarded  here  for 
relief,  and  millions  of  dollars  paid  by  Insurance 
Companies  in  settlement  of  losses.*  In  addi- 
tion, much  Eastern  capital  was  sent  here  for 
investment  in  real  estate  at  the  anticipated  low 
prices.  .  .  .  On  October  i6th,  Comptroller 
Hubbard  made  an  official  examination  of  the 
Chicago  banks  and  reported  their  condition  as 
satisfactory,  and  from  the  date  of  the  resump- 
tion forward,  for  a  period  of  some  months, 
money  was  so  "  flush  "  in  the  city  that  the  banks 
had  more  cash  than  before  the  fire,  notwithstand- 
ing that  immense  sums  were  sent  East  in  pay- 
ment of  mercantile  indebtedness.  .  .  .  The 
announcement  of  their  intention  by  the  Savings- 
banks  resulted  in  but  little  demand  for  money, 
except  from  small  depositors. 

It  was  just  two  years  after  the  Fire  that  the  "  pinch  "  came  again  upon 
the  city  and  the  financial  world.  Wall  Street  in  a  manner  suspended 
payment ;  so  did  Boston,  Philadelphia  and  most  of  the  other  money 
centres.  The  clearing-houses  were  the  crucial  tests,  for  when  a  bank 
can  not  "clear,"  that  is,  make  good  to  its  sister  banks  the  checks  upon 
it  they  have  taken  from  its  depositors,  then  such  bank  has  failed.  But  a 
pooling  expedient  was  invented  in  Wall  Street  and  copied  by  the  cities 
which  take  their  cue  from  New  York ;  and  that  expedient  was  the  use 
between  banks  of  "clearing-house  certificates."  A  bank  which  can  not 
"clear,"  sends  a  mass  of  securities,  in  place  of  cash,  to  the  clearing-house, 
and  the  latter  thereupon  delivers  vouchers,  or  "  certificates,"  to  the 

•The  Phenix,  of  Brooklyn,  claims  the  honor  of  having  made  the  first  payment  on  account  of  the  Fire  losses.  It 
was  a  draft  for  $5,000,  dated  October  12,  1871,  in  favor  of  Hart,  Asten  &  Co.,  well-known  manufacturers  of  paper  bags. 


Banks  begin 
again  to  pay 
out  money. 


I.VMAN  TRUMBULL. 


352 


THE  STOXY   OF  CHICAGO. 


Gearing-house 
certificates 
not  used. 


Collapse 
averted . 


Failures. 


creditor  banks.  This  of  course  is  good  for  the  feeble  bank  and  bad  for 
the  strong,  for  a  depositor  who  draws  his  check  on  the  former  and 
deposits  it  in  the  latter,  can  get  his  cash  from  the  latter,  while  it  gets 
only  a  "clearing-house  certificate"  in  return.  On  a  certain  day  this 
quasi  stoppage  took  effect  in  the  Eastern  cities,  and  the  question  arose 
of  the  taking  of  similar  action  in  Chicago.  One  would  expect  the 
stricken  and  struggling  burnt-out  city  to  be  helpless,  the  earliest  to 
succumb,  stunned,  if  not  paralyzed,  by  the  first  blast  of  monetary  strin- 
gency. There  was  a  meeting  of  Chicago  bankers  in  the  clearing-house 
room,  and  a  stormy  debate  lasting  till  two  A.  M.  A  few  heroes  of  financial 
courage  withstood  the  natural  impulse  to  follow  Wall  Street's  comfort- 
able example.  A  clear  numerical 
majority  was  in  favor  of  it,  but  Geo. 
Schneider,  Lyman  J.  Gage,  C.  B. 
Blair  and  others  opposed  it,  and 
this  is  an  operation  which  could  not 
go  on  without  their  co-operation, 
for  they  could  insist  on  receiving 
their  balances  in  cash,  being  them- 
selves ready  to  pay  cash.  Mr. 
Blair  said :  "  I  don't  care  what 
others  may  do,  and  I  don't  know 
how  I  shall  come  out ;  but  no 
matter  who  stops,  I  go  on  pay- 
ing." The  First  National  was 
called  on  for  its  vote  on  the  ques- 
tion of  a  resort  to  clearing-house 
certificates,  and  Lyman  J.  Gage 
answered,  "  No."  The  die  was 
cast,  and  the  general  collapse  being  averted,  even  those  who  had  falt- 
ered came  into  line  or  tried  to  do  so,  and  soon  most  of  them  —  all 
who  ought  to  survive — were  going  on  as  usual.  Among  these  were 
National  banks  as  follows  :  The  First,  the  Fifth  (now  the  National  Bank 
of  America),  the  Merchants',  the  North-Western,  the  Illinois,  the  Com- 
mercial, the  Union,  the  Hide  &  Leather,  the  Home,  the  Corn  Exchange, 
the  Stock  Yards  and  doubtless  others.  Among  non-National  banks, 
there  were  the  Merchants  Loan  &  Trust,  the  Illinois  Trust  &  Savings, 
the  Hibernian  and  many  others  not  now  recalled  to  mind.  The  banks 
which  failed  at  this  crisis  or  within  the  year  were:  the  Second,  Fourth, 
Cook  County,  Manufacturers,  City  and  German  National  banks,  and 
the  Franklin  Savings  Bank;  beside  others  now  forgotten  by  all  except 
perhaps  some  of  their  unlucky  depositors  and  share-holders.  The  bill- 
holders  could  lose  nothing. 


LYMAN   J.  GAGE. 


PANIC   OF  1873.    .FIRE  OF  1874.      WHISKY  RING.  353 

The  fact  is  that  what  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  buys  and  sells  is 
more  staple  than  what  the  New  York  Stock  Board  buys  and  sells.     Wall  Food  roduc(  • 
Street  owns  securities,  La  Salle  Street  owns  food.     Grain  and  meats 
have  a  world-wide  value  and  salability,  which  stocks  and  bonds  can  not 
claim.     The  latter  exist  for  generations,  whereas  the  former  are   neces- 
sarily created,  sold  and  eaten  each  year,  since  mankind  must  have  them 
or  perish  ;  while  the  paper  muniments  of  ownership  are  always  subject 
to  the  fluctuations  of  popular  favor — the  luxuries  of  the  rich,  instead 
of  the  necessities  of  all.     When   the  panic  came,  our  English  and  Cana- 
dian neighbors  rushed  in  to  buy  up,  not  Erie  seconds,  but  wheat,  corn, 
oats,  beef  and  pork.     There  is  a  whimsical  parallelism  between  the  sta-Awhim 
bility  of  Western  banks  when  the  Eastern  banks  gave  way,  and  the   P"8"'1- 
firmness  of  brick  vaults  compared 
to  the  failure  of  the  Government 
depository.     The  latter  had  most 
funds  in  store,  but  it  was  insecurely 
based  on  railway  iron  ;    while  the 
former   rested  on  the  solid  earth, 
the    soil    itself,  whence   comes   all 
permanent  stability. 

For  this  reason,  among  others, 
Chicago  failures  have  rarely  been 
total  wrecks.  In  the  cases  of  bank- 
rupt National  banks,  the  proceeds 
of  their  United  States  bonds  have 
always  redeemed  the  bank-notes, 
the  other  assets  have  partly  or 
wholly  paid  the  other  liabilities, 
and  the  shareholders  have  usually 

made    up    the    deficiency,    if    any.  POTTER  ™LMER. 

Now  (1891)  the  stock  of  one  bankrupt  bank  (the  Third  National)  is 
worth  250  per  cent,  or  more,  through  the  advance  of  real  estate  which 
was  among  its  abandoned  resources. 

The  only  really  disastrous  banking  convulsion  which  has  struck 
Chicago  since  1837,  was  that  of  1878,  when  the  State,  the  Beehive, 
the  Fidelity  and  the  German  savings-banks  went  down,  chiefly  because 
of  real  estate  loans,  the  security  for  which  was  valuable,  but  inconvert- 
ible. The  losses  were  terrible,  not  because  of  their  magnitude,  but  of 
the  helplessness  of  the  losers,  they  being  savings  depositors.  The  State 
was  precipitated  by  wrong  doing  and  flight  on  the  part  of  its  manager, 
D.  D.  Spencer.  George  Schneider  had  been  out  of  it  for  fifteen  years, 
and  the  sound  principles  which  guided  him  had  been  replaced  by  a  very 


354 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


State,  Beehive, 
Fidelity,  and 
German  Sav- 
ings-Banks. 


Building  Socie- 
ties and  their 
mission. 


different  spirit.*  The  others  were  recognized  as  being  the  victims  of 
misfortune  and  bad  judgment.  The  two  largest,  the  State  and  the 
Fidelity,  finally  paid  between  fifty  and  sixty  per  cent  of  their  indebted- 
ness, but  most  of  the  small  depositors  had  already  sold  their  claims  for 
a  song.  At  prices  afterward  reached,  the  land  securities  would  have 
paid  all  claims  in  full  with  interest.  The  moral  effect  of  these  failures 
was  bad,  as  many  of  the  sufferers  were  discouraged  from  ever  again 
practising  the  painful  economies  whereof  the  results  were  so  pitifully 
lost. 

Other  savings-banks  have  sprung  up,  and  the  innumerable  "build- 
ing associations"  have  formed  attractive,  profitable,  and  hitherto  safe 
channels  or  reservoirs  for  savings,  through  which  tens  of  thousands  of 

homes  have  been  built  up  and  occu- 
pied. Properly  managed  "building 
societies,"  namely,  those  which  lend 
to  individual  heads  of  families  and 
not  to  building  speculators,  are  safe 
beyond  peradventure. 

At  the  same  time,  savings- 
banks  are  now  (1891)  coming 
again  into  favor.  As  fast  as  homes 
are  built  and  paid  for  (probably 
faster  in  Chicago  than  in  any  other 
city  on  earth),  the  habit  of  saving 
becoming  formed,  other  healthy 
investments  will  follow.  Speed  the 
day!  The  additional  sums  which 
might  be  saved  to  American  labor- 
ing classes,  if  there  were  no  spirits 
or  beer  in  the  world,  would  trans- 
fer to  their  ownership  all  the  most  valuable  property  in  the  country, 
railways,  mines  and  manufactures,  in  a  single  generation.  It  is  calcu- 
lated that  the  "drink  bill "  of  Chicago  (not  taking  into  account  the  indi- 
rect injury  caused  by  the  drink  habit)  amounts  to  between  $20,000,000 
and  $30,000,000  each  year,  chiefly  from  the  earnings  of  labor.  The  rich 
are  not  saving  money  half  as  fast  as  the  poor  are  throwing  it  away. 

The  mass  of  ashes,  stone-fragments,  brick-bats,  mortar-dust,  slag, 
metallic  debris,  melted  and  agglomerated  nails,  spikes,  horse-shoes,  bars, 
bundles  and  other  forms  of  iron,  crockery,  china  and  glass-ware  and  ten 

*  Mr.  Schneider  is  characterized  by  a  friend  as  "  the  man  to  whom  is  justly  due  the  honor  of  having  done  more 
than  any  other  journalist  to  bring  the  Germans  of  the  Xorthwest  into  line  with  that  great  anti-slavery  movement 
which,  taking  its  rise  in  England  under  Wilberforre,  Clarkson,  George  Thompson,  Daniel  O'Conncll  and  others,  saw 
the  consummation  ot  its  labors  in  the  emancipation  proclamation  of  Abraham  Lincoln." 


' 

V 


LEVI.   Z.   LETTER 


PANIC  OF  1873.     FIRE  OF  1874.      WHISKY  RING. 


355 


thousand  thousand  other  relics,  impossible  of  grasp  by  memory  or  imag- 
ination, remained  to  be  disposed  of.*  If  the  fire  had  annihilated  them 
all  it  would  have  been  well ;  but  there  they  lay,  the  bones  of  the  old 
Chicago  to  be  buried  out  of  the  path  of  the  new.  Burdensome  as  they 
were,  they  were  not  entirely  useless.  In  the  first  place,  the  occasion 
was  seized  for  raising  the  established  grade  in  some  places ;  and  in 
others,  raising  the  actual  grade  to  the  established  standard.  Then  again 
there  was  the  "basin"  in  front  of  the  Lake  Front  Park  and  within  the 
Illinois  Central  breakwater.  This  had  long  been  a  weedy,  half  stagnant 
eyesore;  now  it  was  the  convenient  dumping-ground.  Thither  went 
the  wagon-loads  of  debris,  almost  by  the  million.  The  place  was  filled  ; 
and  if  at  some  far  distant  age  Macaulay's  fancied  "  New  Zealander" 
shall  sit  on  the  ruins  of  the  ancient 
Chicago  and  wonder  at  the  great 
remains  of  past  glory,  he  may  be 
led  to  excavate  the  bank  which 
the  lake  will  have  abandoned,  and 
if  so  he  shall  there  have  rich  finds 
of  the  relics  of  a  forgotten  race. 

The  "  Little  Fire,"  the  great 
fire  of  July  i\,  1874,  seemed  like 
adding  insult  to  injury;  like  plung- 
ing the  same  dagger  afresh  into  the 
old,  half-healed  wound.  Captain 
Andreas  says  (3  Hist.  Chic.  462)  : 

The  starting  point  was  a  low  shanty  in  the 
rear  of  No.  527  South  Clark  Street,  occupied  by 
a  rag  peddler  as  a  store-house.  .  .  .  The  first 
estimate  of  the  loss  was  $4,025,000,  but  this  was 
subsequently  reduced  to  $3  845  ooo.  The  loss  to 
the  insurance  companies  was  about  $2,200,000, 

leaving  a  loss  to  property  owners  of  between  $i, 600. coo  and  $2,000,000,  The  fire  lasted  from  4:30 
p.  M.  on  the  I4th  till  3:30  A.  M.  on  the  ijth,  and  at  one  time  it  looked  as  if  the  city  was  menaced  by 
another  sweeping  conflagration  At  an  early  hour  in  the  evening  the  apprehension  was  so  great  that 
many  firms  began  carting  their  valuable  goods  to  the  West  Side.  Guests  left  the  hotels  and  people 
on  the  North  Side  began  preparing  for  another  visitation  by  packing  up  their  chattels. 

The  Fire,  driven  by  a  southwest  wind,  as  was  its  greater  predeces- 
sor, swept  from  its  origin  on  Clark  Street  eastward  to  the  Lake,  skirting 
the  southern  edge  of  the  rebuilding  "burnt  district,"  and  doing  little 
damage,  if  any,  to  the  new  brick  structures.  But  it  was  the  "  last  straw" 
on  the  back  of  the  patient  insurance  interest.  Anticipating  the  inevit- 
able outcry,  the  local  insurance  agents  met  on  the  day  after  the  disas- 
ter and  agreed  to  insist  on  a  "  new  deal."  The  fire  department  must  be 

*Even  while  these  pages  were  preparinz,  a  huge  mass  of  iron  melted  together  in  an  obstinate  henp.  has  lain  in 
the  way  of  the  erection  of  one  of  the  great  new  structures  (the  Masonic  Temple),  and  has  Hnally  been  raised  and  trans- 
ferred to  the  "Libby  Prison  Museum." 


Relics  of  the 
past  made 
foundations 
for  the  future. 


A  new  blow  on 
the  old  sore 
spot. 


356 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


re-organized,  the  chief  must  have  absolute  control,  the  fire-limits  must 

be  strictly  observed  and  respected  in  all  building,  the  water-mains  must 

Last  straw  on    be  enlarged,  extra  hazardous  merchandise  must  not  be  stored,  wooden 

the  insurance  awnings,  cornices  and  cupolas  must  be  removed.     In  spite  of  all  this  the 

Companies 

National  Board  of  Underwriters  in  Philadelphia,  on  October  ist 
resolved  that  all  its  companies  should  retire  from  Chicago,  and  the  with- 
drawal actually  began. 

At  this  alarming  juncture  the  Citizens'  Association  (working  with 

Citizens- ASSO-  the  Board  of  Underwriters)  raised  $5,000  to  carry  into  effect  the  reform 

rescue.         of  the  Fire  Department.     Franklin  MacVeagh  went  East,  argued  the 

matter  before  the  Board  of  Underwriters  and  engaged  General  Shaler, 

of  New  York,  an  old  soldier  and 
an  experienced  fireman,  to  come  to 
Chicago  and  re-organize  the  fire- 
fighting  service,  and  the  second 
conflagration,  severe  trial  as  it  was, 
proved  to  have  been  a  blessing  in 
disguise,  for  from  that  day  to  this 
(1891)  no  fire  has  got  beyond  the 
control  of  the  department,  so  as 
to  outflank  it,  jump*  over  it,  defy  it 
and  rage  unchecked  over  any  large 
extent  of  ground,  although  Chicago 
still  remains  largely  a  "  wooden 
city." 

The  Insurance  Companies,  it  is 
needless  to  say,  cheerfully  —  even 
eagerly — returned  to  Chicago,  and 
have  found  it  a  profitable  field  for 
their  tillage  ;  although  one  of  the 
authorities  on  the  subject  assures 

the  writer  (1891)  that  the  net  profits  of  the  business  here  can  never 
repay  the  big  loss ;  for  the  reason  that  they  can  not  pay  the  interest  on 
it,  year  by  year.  At  six  per  cent,  this  would  amount  to  $3,000,000 ; 
and,  compounding  interest  for  the  delay,  would  now  take  perhaps 
$10,000,000  per  annum  to  be  gained  before  any  beginning  is  made 

11*1  ... 

toward  reducing  the  enormous  principal. 

The  growth  of  the  Fire  Department  from  the  fifteen  poor  rotary 
engines  of  1871,  which  could  scarcely  throw  a  respectable  stream  against 
the  wind,  may  be  judged  from  the  following  extract  from  Mayor 
Cregier's  report  of  1890,  dated  April  27,  1891  : 

The  fire  department  continues  its  usual  efficiency.  This  arm  of  the  service  consists  of  914 
men  in  all  capacities,  209  fire  apparatuses,  89  stations,  387  horses  and  115,000  feet  or  nearly  22  miles 


J.  VAN  OSDEL. 


The  companies 
forgive,  but 
do  not  forget 


PANIC   OF  1873.     FIRE   OF  1874.      WHISKY  RING. 


357 


° 


of  hose.     During  the  year  the  department  has  responded  to  4,639  alarms,  of  which  3,459  were  fires. 
104  men  were  injured  while  in  the  discharge  of  duty,  but  not  a  life  was  sacrificed  during  the  year. 

The  new  fire-boat  "  Yo  Semite  "  was  completed  and  put  in  service  December  iqth,  and  has  a  The  new  army 
capacity  to  deliver  24  one-and-one-fourth    streams  simultaneously.     This    fire-boat    has    thrown    a 
single  four-inch  stream  a  distance  of  420  feet.     The  power  and  utility  of  this  boat  will  prove  an 
important  addition  to  the  department. 

This  one  flood-thrower,  drawing  water  from  the  river  regardless 
of  any  water-works,  would  alone  have  quelled  the  fire-fiend  of  1871. 
Its  power  is  probably  three  times  as  great  as  that  of  all  the  apparatus  of 
the  older  days  put  together.  There  are  more  machines  now  than  there 
were  men  in  the  ante-fire  days. 

A  very  striking  and  noteworthy  experience  in  the  business  history 
of  Chicago  was  the  exposure  and 
punishment  of  the  "  whisky  frauds'* 
in  1875.  The  large  internal  rev- 
enue tax  laid  on  distilled  spirits  by 
Congress  in  war  time  ($2  a  gallon, 
later  reduced  to  90  cents  a  gal- 
lon), offered  an  overpowering 
temptation  to  fraud  and  conceal- 
ment, the  tax  being  more  than  ten 
times  the  cost  of  production.*  The 
frauds  had  been  of  long  standing, 
and,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  the 
offenders  had  grown  bold  and  care- 
less, regarding  "  beating  the  Gov- 
ernment" as  a  kind  of  recognized 
game  of  chance  and  skill  —  even 
as  certain  women  look  upon  the 
introduction  of  foreign  finery  in 
defiance  of  the  customs  laws.  The 
conspiracy  involved  many  Govern- 

ment officers.  One  member  of  President  Grant's  Cabinet  was  considered 
.to  be  implicated,  and  people  went  so  far  as  to  charge  the  President 
himself  with  privity  in  the  swelling  of  campaign  means  by  "whisky 
money,"  or  corruption  funds,  paid  for  convenient  blindness  on  the  part 
of  tax-collectors.  This  accusation,  false  as  it  proved,  found  many  believ- 
ers among  his  political  opponents.  General  Grant's  famous  phrase, 
"Let  no  guilty  man  escape,"  was  the  keynote  of  the  prosecution,  and 
it  went  on  to  a  triumphant  conclusion. 

Secretary  Bristow  was  the  instigator  of  the  whole  proceeding,  and 

*  When  corn  is  low  and  beef  and  porlc  are  high,  spirits  can  be  distilled  in  the  West  almost  for  nothing,  seeing 
that  the  "  slops,"  or  remains  from  distillation,  are  nearly  as  valuable  for  fattening  cattle  and  hogs  as  was  the  corn  before 
"mashing." 


DR.  N.  S.  DAVIS. 


Bursting  of  the 
Whisky  ring. 


"  Let  no  guilty 
man  escape.'' 


358 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


to  him,  perhaps,  more  than  to  any  other  one  Government  officer,  was 
due  the  great  reform,  comparable  to  that  which  ousted  the  "Tweed 
Ring,"  in  New  York,  in  the  same  year,*  a  campaign  whereof  the  glory 
is  assigned  to  Samuel  J.  Tilden.  Special  Deputies  Tutton,  Asa 
Matthews  and  Captain  William  Somerville  (the  two  last  named  Illinois 
men)  made  the  arrests  and  seizures.  Judge  Mark  Bangs  was  the 
United  States  District  Attorney  and  managed  the  attacking  force.  He 
had  the  help  of  some  of  the  best  legal  talent  in  the  city,  Wirt  Dexter, 
B.  F.  Ayer,  and  L.  H.  Boutell;  and,  of  course,  was  opposed  by  all  the 
ingenuity  and  ability  that  the  profession  could  furnish  and  money  could 
employ:  Robert  G.  Ingersoll,  Emory  A.  Storrs,  Leonard  Swett,  Sydney 

Smith  and  others. 

Eight  large  distilleries  and 
numerous  rectifying  and  wholesale 
liquor  houses  were  seized,  and 
goods  bearing  the  marks  of  these 
houses  were  confiscated  all  over 
the  country,  wherever  found.  The 
"first  batch"  of  the  accused  ar- 
rested were  scarcely  in  custody 
before  some  of  them  showed  symp- 
toms of  weakening.  They  knew 
that  the  Government  would  have 
little  or  no  trouble  in  making  out  its 
case,  and  finally,  with  one  accord, 
offered  their  testimony  against 
others  on  the  hope  of  obtaining  in- 
demnity from  the  penalties  of  their 
wrong-doing.  After  much  consul- 
tation and  mature  deliberation,  Judge  Bangs  concluded  to  put  them 
prop- on  the  witness  stand,  they  to  rely  on  the  clemency  of  the  Government 
as  the  consideration  for  their  repentance  and  becoming  its  friends  and 
allies.  Thereupon  about  a  score  of  more  distinguished  culprits  were" 
arrested,  including  some  men  widely  known  and  highly  esteemed. 

The  trial  was  sensational,  the  court  room  crowded,  the  public-press 
sensational      alive  with  staring  headlines  and  full  columns.     All  defence  was  practi- 
and  sentences,  cally  hopeless,  in  view  of  the  extreme  severity  and  far-reaching  pene- 
tration of  the  revenue  laws.     Every  gallon  fraudulently  distilled  and 
marketed  was  a  separate  offence  calling  for  fine,  confiscation  and  impris- 

*  It  is  partly  in  consequence  of  the  uncounted  stealings  of  the  "  Tweed  Ring  "  that  the  public  debt  ol  New  York 
is  so  great  and  so  complicated  that  no  man  can  give  a  complete  statement  of  its  amount.  It  has  been  estimated  at 
$140,000.000,  which  is  somewhat  more  than  ten  times  that  of  Chicago.  Chicago  naturally  boasts  of  the  difference,  and  of 
the  fact  that  in  spite  of  all  the  charges,  true  and  false,  of  fraud  and  peculation  in  her  city  government,  no  official  or  con- 
tractor has  grown  rich  on  his  city  business. 


MARK  BANGS. 


ong  men 


PANIC  OF  1873.     FIRE  OF  1874.      WHISKY  RING. 

onrnent.  As  millions  of  gallons  had  been  "crooked,"  all  the  money  in 
the  country  would  not  have  paid  the  possible  fines,  and  centuries  would 
not  have  exhausted  the  possible  terms  of  imprisonment.  Frantic  efforts  str 
were  made  to  have  the  sentences  confined  to  money  penalties,  but 
imprisonment,  with  its  accompanying  stigma,  was  insisted  on  in  every 
case,  and  men  of  age,  wealth  and  standing  broke  down  in  tears  on  being 
condemned  to  the  common  jail. 

Afterward  came  the  question  of  the  extent  of  indemnity  to  be 
allowed  to  the  "  State's  evidence  "  men.  The  Government  was  disposed 
to  insist  that  only  imprisonment  should  be  spared  them  ;  that  all  fines 
and  confiscations  should  be  enforced,  and  further,  all  liability  as  surety  '".^TJiakre 
on  the  bonds  of  the  very  men  whom  their  evidence  had  brought  to 
justice.  As  finally  settled,  the  "squealers"  submitted  to  the  loss  of 
the  distilleries  and  liquors  siezed,  also  to  all  the  taxes  proven  against 
them  as  being  unpaid,  but  escaped  the  money  penalties  and  liabilities 
on  bonds,  the  latter  chiefly  by  compromise,  for  they  were  stripped  of 
their  property  and  could  not  go  into  business  again  with  the  old  liabili- 
ties hanging  over  them.  "  Let  no  guilty  man  escape"  was  carried  out 
so  far  as  the  law  or  the  public  could  identify  him.  Even  if  the  "  State's 
evidence"  men  had  got  off  scott  free,  it  would  only  be  in  accord  with 
the  general  common-law  principle  of  expediency.  "Approvers"  have 
been  favored,  from  very  ancient  times,  on  the  ground  given  by  an  old 
English  commentator  who  says  that  a  main  safeguard  for  the  upright  is 
found  in  the  mutual  distrust  of  the  knaves  who  fear  betrayal  at  each 
other's  hands. 

The  years  1873  to  1878  were  years  of  extreme  business  depression  ; 
usually  called  years  of  "disaster;"  but  Judge  Caton  wisely  calls  them 
years  of  prosperity,  seeing  that  they  were  those  where  the  process  of 
economical  repair  and  renewal  went  on.  In  1873,  he  observes,  the  im- 
ports were  $300,000,000  more  than  the  exports  ;  indicating  wild  extrava- 
gance in  the  use  of  foreign  luxuries.  This  was  quenched  by  the  "hard 
times,"  and  economy  took  its  place.  Debts  were  liquidated  and  the 
balance  restored;  so  that  in  1878  the  exports  were  $300,000,000  above  seeming  tm 
the  imports.  The  process  of  contraction  was  not  one  of  destruction  bun-^uet 
but  of  reconstruction;  not  an  attack  of  melancholia,  but  the  return  to 
reason  after  drunken  foolishness.  The  "ministry  of  pain"  is  a  blessing; 
deeply  disguised,  but  a  blessing  nevertheless  when  it  is  a  preventive  of 
grealer  pains. 

Sure  it  is  that  every  check  which  Chicago  has  ever  met,  be  it  war, 
pestilence  or  (money)  famine  ;  flood,  fire  or  scandal,  has  only  marked  a 
pause  in  her  progress,  a  halt  to  gather  strength  for  a  higher  leap. 


THE  STORY   Of    CHICAGO. 


In  the  Mayoralty,  Roswell  B.  Mason  was  succeeded  in  1871  by  Joseph  Medill 
next  (1873)  came  Harvey  D.  Colvin;    next  (1876)  Monroe  Heath;    next  (1879" 


Carter  H.  Harrison,  who  had  the  unprecedented  honor  of  serving  through   four 
successive  terms  with  marked  ability. 


PANIC  OF  1873.     FIRE   OF  1874.      WHISKY  KING. 


After  Mr.  Harrison,  came  (1887)  John  A.  Roche,  and  next  (1889) 
DeWitt  Clinton  Cregier,  who  was  followed  (1891)  by  the  present 
Mayor,  Hempstead  Washburne. 


JOHN  A.  ROCHE.  DE  WITT  CLINTON  CREGIER. 

Chicago  should  congratulate  herself  on  the  high  character  for  per- 
sonal honesty  which  has  marked  her  chief  executives  without  exception. 

In  war  and  peace,  through  dark 
days  and  bright,  through  fire  and 
flood,  through  riots  and  other 
epidemics,  they  have  served  her 
faithfully.  In  many  cases  the 
choice  to  the  high  office  has 
seemed  to  raise  its  incumbent  to  a 
higher  plane  of  principle  than  had 
ever  before  been  attributed  to  him. 
Partisan  rancor  has  often  accused 
them  of  partisan  bias;  never  of  pri- 
vate peculation.  So  far  as  known, 
they,  one  and  all,  have  left  the 
Mayoralty  poorer  than  they  entered 
it;  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  in  the 
meantime  huge  sums  have  been 
spent  upon  public  works  of  great 
extent  and  magnificence,  offering 
crookedness." 


Uniform  integ- 
rity of  the 
Mayors  of 
Chicago. 


HEMPSTEAD   WASHBURXE. 


temptations  to  all  kinds  of 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 


The  1 
the 
the 


uxury  of 
poor  and 
rich. 


THE   BEAUTY   SPOTS. 

ARKS  are  among  the  many  luxuries  which 
the  advance  of  the  world's  means  and 
appliances  for  human  enjoyment  has 
brought  into  the  category  of  necessaries 
of  life.  Warmth,  light,  air,  sport,  beauty 
and  music  (among  thousands  of  other 
comforting  and  elevating  gifts)  are  now 
offered  to  the  poorest,  to  a  degree  which 
even  within  historic  times,  was  beyond 
the  dream  of  the  most  favored  of  men. 
And  city  parks  are  the  purveyors  of 
warmth,  light,  air,  sport,  beauty  and 
music,  to  vast  crowds  of  city-dwellers,  who 
otherwise  would  find  very  little  of  either 
in  their  lives. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  establishment  of  Lincoln 
Park,  the  pioneer  of  the  magnificenj:  park  system  of  Chicago.       Those 


SEA    LION   POND,   LINCOLN    PARK. 
362 


THE  BEAUTY  SPOTS. 


363 


who,  with  so  much  courage  and  persistency,  carried  through  that  enter- 
prise, established  not  only  a  park,  but  a  precedent.  The  legislative 
commission,  with  its  powers,  duties  and  limitations,  was  the  all-potent 
machine  by  which,  in  1869,  the  South  and  West  Divisions  effected  for 
themselves  what  the  North  Division  had  devised  for  itself. 

On  February  24,  1869,  an  act  of  the  legislature  was  passed  and 
approved,  which  created  a  commission,  consisting  of  John  M.  Wilson, 
George  W.  Gage,  Chauncey  T.  Bowen,  L.  B.  Sidway  and  Paul  Cornell, 
to  locate  and  maintain  a  park  in  the  towns  of  South  Chicago,  Hyde 
Park  and  Lake,  authorizing  them  to  obtain  certain  designated  lands  by 
purchase  or  condemnation,  to  cause  the  appointment  of  assessors  by  the 
Circuit  Court  to  levy  taxes,  to  issue  bonds  secured  on  the  park  and  its 
improvements,  and  generally  to  do  all  things  needful  in  the  premises. 


South  Park 
Commission. 


GATES     AJAR,    WASHINGTON    PARK 


After  nearly  two  years  of  hard  work,  the  Fire  came  and  swept 
away  almost  all  the  visible  result,  namely,  the  magnificent  plans  and 
specifications  prepared  by  Olmstead  &  Vaux  (landscape  architects  of 
New  York  Central  Park),  the  maps  of  the  region,  with  ownership,  etc., 
the  Board  records  and  books  of  account,  all  contracts,  estimates,  accounts 
and  vouchers,  and,  perhaps  worst  of  all,  the  roll  of  "assessment  for  bene- 
fits." In  spite  of  this,  and  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  which  animated 
the  community,  they  were  soon  at  work  again,  making  up  for  lost  time. 
In  1872,  '73  and  '74,  boulevards  were  laid  out  and  graded,  an  artesian 
well  was  sunk,  water-mains  were  extended,  sewers  built,  hundreds  of 
acres  of  land  planted  and  fertilized,  artificial  lakes  excavated,  a  tempo- 


its  Fire  lo* 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


rary  music-stand  was  erected  and  Hans  Balatka's  orchestra  employed  to 
give  weekly  concerts. 

To  quote  Andreas  (3  Hist.  Chic.,  170): 

Up  to  1875  the  whole  amount  of  land  purchased  was  1,045  acres.     .     .     350  acres  had  been 
tilled,   seeded  down  and  planted  with  forest  trees,  of  from  three  to  twelve  inches  diameter.       That 
part  of  it  known  as  the  "South  Open  Green  "  had  been  laid  out  as  a  lawn — probably  the  most  exten- 
sive in  America — and  the  four  main  boulevards,  Grand,  Drexel,  Pavilion  and  Oakwood,  had  been 
built  and  completed,  affording  eleven  and  one-half  miles  of  road.      A  connecting  drive  between  the 
h'a'ses^nd       East  and  West  divisions  of  the  park,  beside  other  minor  boulevards,  some  five  miles  in  length,  had 
improvements  been  constructed.      The  nursery  furnished  several  thousand  trees  each  season,  which  were  planted 
in  the  park,  their  places  being  supplied  with  young  stock.     The  floral  department  and  botanical  gar- 
den were  well  established,  with  good  hot-houses,  steam  forcing  apparatus,  etc.,  and  the  Board  found 
itself  able  to  furnish  therefrom  all  the  plants  for  the  walks  and  drives  in  the  parks. 

The  various  boulevards  and  portions  of  the  park  were  named  from 
time  to  time.     The  East  became  Jackson  Park;  the  West,  Washington 


Dr««istai 


FLORAL  GLOBE,  WASHINGTON   PARK. 

Park.  The  boulevards  were  named  Grand,  Garfield,  Drexel,  etc.  In 
acknowledgment  of  the  last,  the  Drexel  heirs  in  Philadelphia  furnished 
that  boulevard  with  a  handsome  bronze  fountain,  surmounted  by  a  statue 
of  A.  J.  Drexel,  the  founder  of  the  family,  and  a  distinguished  philan- 
thropist. The  greatest  innovation  was  that  which  connected  the  park 
w't^  t'le  centre  °f  tne  citv  by  the  adoption  by  the  Board,  and  repaving 
and  improving  as  a  boulevard,  of  Michigan  Avenue,  for  nearly  its  whole 
length,  namely,  from  Jackson  Street  to  35th  Street,  a  distance  of  over 
three  miles.  This  cost  more  than  $500,000. 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  Park  acts,  any  street  "  boulevarded  " 
is  placed  under  the  control  of  the  Park  Board,  as  to  its  care,  government 


THE  BEAUTY  SPOTS. 


365 


and  use,  and  the  Board  can  assess  adjacent  property  for  its  reimburse- 
ment.     The  Board  thereupon  forbids  the  use  of  the  roadway  for  busi- 


IN  THE  PALM  HOUSE,   LINCOLN  PARK. 


ness  travel  (and  even  for  funerals)  except  so  far  as  absolutely  necessary 
to  the  residents  on  the  street  itself.  The  Board  must  be  applied  to  for 
permission  by  any  railway  which  desires  to  cross  its  boulevards  ;  in  short, 


366 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Hardship  of 
Boulevarding 
some  streets 
at  the  cost  of 
others. 


the  whole  length  of  each  is  treated  as  part  of  the  park.  This  is  not 
looked  upon  with  favor  by  the  residents  on  parallel  streets  near  by,  as 
it  not  only  gives  the  favored  avenue  a  certain  glory  and  distinction,  but 
also  throws  on  the  other  roadways  more  than  their  share  of  the  public 
business,  the  traffic  which  is  heavy,  dirty,  noisy,  unsightly,  undesirable 
and  pavement-wearing.  Still,  they  submit,  perforce,  and  with  as  good  a 
grace  as  may  be.  "  It  is  for  the  city's  good." 

The  South  Park  Commissioners'  report  for  1890  gives  the  total 
outlays  since  1869  as  $11,101,935,  and  the  entire  remaining  debt  as 
$281,000.  In  other  words,  the  taxpayers  of  the  South  Division  have  in 


FLORAL   DESIGN    IN    LINCOLN   PARK. 


policy 


eighteen  years  freely  paid  $10,820,935,  and  wiped  out  the  cost  of  lands 
and  everything  else,  except  the  paltry  sum  of  $281,000.  This  is  a  fresh 
and  strong  illustration  of  the  severe  "  pay  as  you  go  "  policy  which  has 
pay-as-you.?o  always  characterized  Chicago  and  resulted  in  making  all  her  immense 
outlays,  both  before  and  after  the  Fire,  without  increasing  by  a  dollar 
the  old  debt  of  less  than  $14,000,000. 

The  South  Park  is  to  accommodate  the  World's  Fair.  It  has  sur- 
rendered to  the  "Columbian  Exposition  Board"  the  whole  of  Jackson 
Park  and  the  midway  Plaisance.  This  makes  666  acres,  including  a  mile 
and  a  half  of  lake  frontage.  As  Paris  managed  to  do  fairly  well  with 


THE  BEAUTY  SPOTS. 


367 


225  acres  and  no  lake  frontage,  it  may  be  supposed  that  the  Columbian 
will  not  suffer  for  elbow  room. 

Some  idea  of  the  work  required  to  keep  the  South  Park  in  shape 
may  be  gained  from  the  list  of  equipments,  etc.,  it  has  in  use:  53  wagons, 
8  phaetons,  23  sprinkling  wagons,  5  carts,  i  steam  roller,  121  horses,  85 
boats,  and  tools  and  implements  beyond  count.  The  park  has  40  tennis 
courts,  10  base  ball  fields,  three  skating  ponds  and  one  curling  pool. 
The  receipts  from  sale  of  hay,  hire  of  phaetons  and  boats,  sales  at 
refreshment  counters,  etc.,  were  over  $24,000. 

The  Commissioners'  report  for  1890  gives  the  following: 

TABLE  OF  THE  AREAS  AXD  DISTANCES  OF  THE  SOUTH  PARKS  AND  BOULEVARDS. 


Equipment 
needed  by  a 
park. 


<  £ 
"3  « 

W) 

75  ^ 

Improved  Area, 
Acres. 

Improved  Drives, 
Miles. 

524 

84 

371 

171 

6  18 

20 

80 

i  S3 

Drexel  Boulevard   200  feet  wide. 

Oakwood  Boulevard    100  feet  wide   .  .      .  .        

.  50 

.  50 

c  .  71 

i   77 

Thirty-fifth  Street  Boulevard      

3  •  50 

»    17 

2.8l 

I    7Q 

,03 

•  °3 

One 

1  6    17 

IC£ 

28.  iJ. 

Table  of  areas 
and  distances. 


The  total  area  of  the  territory  embraced  within-the  limits  of  the  South   Parks  and  Boulevards 
is  1,306  acres. 

The  commissioners    are  (1891)   William     Best,  Joseph    Donners- 
berger,  James  W.  Ellsworth,  John   B.  Sherman  and   Martin  J.  Russell. 

The  act  for  incorporating  the  West  Park  Board  was  passed  Feb-  w«t 
ruary  27,  1869,  the  commissioners  being  Charles  C.  P.  H olden,  Henry 
Greenebaum,  George  W.  Stanford,  E.  F.  Runyan,  Isaac  R.  Hitt,  Clark 
Lipe  and  P.  W.  Gates.  The  act  provided  for  a  boulevard,  beginning 
at  the  North  Branch  north  of  Fullerton  Avenue,  running  west  to  a  point 
west  of  Western  Avenue;  then  southerly,  as  the  commissioners  might 
direct,  to  the  line  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway;  and 
parks  were  to  be  situated  along  the  line  of  this  boulevard,  in  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  Board.  With  this  large  liberty  of  choice,  the  Board  laid 
out  four  boulevards,  namely,  Douglas,  Central,  Humboldt  and  South- 


inK  cf 

Side 

system. 


36$ 


THE  STORY    OF  CHICAGO. 


west ;  with  a  total  surface  of  262  acres,  and  a  length  of  8^  miles. 
These  boulevards  join  together  the  three  great  new  parks  :  Douglas, 
180  acres;  Garfield,  186  acres;  and  Humboldt,  200  acres;  covering, 
Douglas, Gar-  with  the  boulevards,  828  acres.  Besides  these  laid  out  by  the  Board,  it 
has  had  assigned  to  its  charge  five  older  parks,  namely:  Union,  15 
acres  ;  Jefferson,  5  acres  ;  Vernon,  4  acres;  Wicker,  5  acres,  and  Camp- 
bell, half  an  acre.  Also  five  older  boulevards,  namely:  Washington, 
Jackson,  Ashland,  Twelfth  Street  and  Ogden  Avenue  ;  which  bring  the 
total  surface  of  West  Side  parks  and  boulevards  up  to  about  940  acres. 


field  and 
Humboldt. 


Great  Boule- 
vards on  the 
West  Side. 


SCENE   IX    LINCOLN'    PARK. 


The  boulevards  are  250  feet  wide;  and,  starting  from  Lincoln  Park, 
and  running  west  to  Humboldt,  thence  south  through  Garfield  Park, 
they  continue  until  they  join  the  South  Park  system.  This  carries  the 
roadway  on  southward  to  a  point  parallel  with  Jackson  Park;  there  it 
turns  eastward,  reaching,  through  the  South  parks,  Lake  Michigan,  which 
it  quitted  at  Lincoln  Park, some  nine  miles  north,  having,  in  the  meantime, 
traversed  seventeen  miles  of  continuous  boulevard  and  park  cultivation. 
There,  the  traveler  can,  if  he  so  choose,  turn  northward,  and  by  Grand 
and  Michigan  Boulevards  return  to  the  place  he  started,  after  making  a 
grand  tour  of  twenty-six  miles. 


THE  BEAUTY  SPOTS. 


369 


As  yet,  this  long  detour  is  through  the  outskirts  of  the  city  (except 
the  Michigan  and  Grand  Boulevards  stretch),  but  within  the  not  distant  Future 
future  the  city  "without  the  wall"*  will  be  larger  than  that  within  it,  and   b*"ui"- 
it  is  easy  to  fancy  the  grandeur  and  beauty  of  this  system  under  those 
circumstances. 


WASHINGTON    PARK    KOl'NTAIN. 

TABLE  OF  WEST  PARKS  AND  BOULEVARDS. 


Area, 
Acres. 

Improved 
Acres. 

Length, 
Miles. 

Humboldt  Park         

200  ^£ 

QC 

Humboldt   Boulevard 

2  \4 

Garfield  Park         

185^ 

114 

Central  Boulevard     

\1A 

Douglas  Park             ... 

I7Q3/ 

I7Q3/ 

Southwestern  Boulevard     

2A 

Wicker  Park 

.ll/ 

ll/ 

3?| 

I'nion  Park 

14^ 

I43/ 

I 

Jefferson  Park 

5  '4 

Twelfth  Street  Boulevard 

Vernon  Park  

4/4 

4'A 

ilA 

Campbell  Park 

¥ 

X 

Jackson  Boulevard    ... 

3M 

Total  acres              .... 

;nl  . 

4IQ 

Total  miles  

i6W 

Acres  and 
miles  of  West 
Side  system. 


The  outlay  on  the  West  Side  parks  and  boulevards  for  1890  was 
$148,150  for  maintenance,  and  $i  14,361  for  improvement.  The  miscel- 
laneous receipts  from  boat-hire,  rents,  etc.,  were  $17,647. 

The  Board  of  West  Park  Commissioners  for  1891  comprises 
George  Mason,  Henry  S.  Burkhardt,  Fred  M.  Blount,  Willard  Wood- 
ard,  Harvey  L.  Thompson,  C.  K.  G.  Billings  and  John  Kralovec. 

•The  original  signification  of  "  Boulevard  "  is  bulwark  or  rampart. 


370 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Lake  Shore 
Drive;  the 
Glory  of  the 
North  Side. 


Lincoln  Park,  on 
the  North  Side,  has 
the  peculiar  and  in- 
estimable advantage 
of  a  Lake  Shore 
drive  ;  the  beginning 
of  a  roadway  des- 
tined to  be  at  some 
future  time  continu- 
ous to  Milwaukee; 
if  not  to  far  away 
"Devil's  Door,"  the 
entrance  to  Green 
Bay,  300  miles  to  the 
northward.  Already 
(1891)  it  is  completed 
or  in  a  fair  state  of 
forwardness,  from  the 
heart  of  the  city  to 
Fort  Sheridan,  the 
United  States  Mili- 
tary Post,  twenty-two 
miles  down  the  lake, 
passing  through  an 
almost  continuous 
line  of  pretty  sub- 
urbs. Wherever  pos- 
sible, the  drive  skirts 
the  lake  itself ;  else- 
where it  keeps  the 
water  in  view  through 
the  trees  or  over  the 
bluff,  and  at  still  other 
places  it  is  driven 
quite  inland  by  the 
irregularities  of  sur- 
face or  by  the  un- 
willingness of  private 
owners  .to  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  beach. 
Doubtless,  as  time 
goes  on,  changes  will 


BEAR   PIT   IN    LINCOLN    PARK. 


THE  BEAUTY  SPOTS. 


37' 


be  made  in  its  location,  and  always  in  the  direction  of  nearer  conformity 
to  the  meandering  shore  ;  for  nothing  in  all  the  joys  of  mere  travel  can 
compare  with  the  delight  of  speeding  over  solid  land  beside  open  water 
— unless  it  be  sailing  along  smiling  water  in  view  of  a  pretty  landscape. 
Of  this  peculiar  opportunity  the  Lincoln  Park  Commissioners  took 
shrewd  and  early  advantage.  Almost  the  first  outlay  they  incurred  was 
the  preparation  of  .the  driveway  along  the  Park  front.  This  was  atn 

~      .  /        .        O  Primeval  Sand- 

once   (in    1870)  made  much  use  of,  even  while  most  of  the  Park  land    bills 
was  still  in  its  normal  and  primeval  condition  of  barren,  bare  or  weedy 
sand-hills.    The  driveway  served  a  double  purpose  :  it  pleased  the  North 
Siders  and  made  them,  .one  and  all,  willing  to  pay  the  new  assessment 
which  added  to   their   tax  burden,  and  it  shut  out  and  made  forever 


SCENK  IN'   DOUGLAS   PARK. 


impossible  the  alienation  of  the  Lake  Shore  for  a  railway  entrance  to 
the  city;  a  fate  which  overtook  the  whole  South  lake  front  at  a  day  so 
far  back  that  it  was  in  the  time  when  the  shore  was  regarded  as  a  dreary 
waste  instead  of  a  refreshing  pleasure-ground. 

It  is  easy  to  perceive  that  a  range  of  wind-swept  sand-hills  is  an 
unpromising  place  fora  park,  but  hard  to  conceive  of  the  immensity  of 
the  task  of  subduing  it  to  verdure  and  beauty.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
are  some  compensatory  features;  the  sand  is  easy  to  move  by  plow  and 
scraper,  and  is  a  self-draining  material  when  reduced  to  the  desired 
form.  On  the  whole,  one  would  rather  attack  for  park  purposes  warm 
sand  than  oold,  refractory  soaked  clay  or  hardpan.  A  design  once  fixed 
on,  with  a  pond  here  and  there  to  be  excavated,  a  hill  or  two  or  three 


Exclusion  of 
Shore  rail- 
ways. 


372 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Blossoming . 
the  rose. 


to  be  brought  low,  a  mound  to  be  raised,  a  slope  to  be  graded,  a  ridge 
to  be  ranged,  numberless  rlower  beds  to  be  started,  a  hot-house,  a  con- 
servatory, a  green-house,a  palm-house,a  boat-house,  a  tool  and-machinery- 
house,  a  keeper's  dwelling  and  bafn  to  be  built — all  these  things  and  a 
thousand  others  being  laid  out  for  deliberate  achievement,  the  thing 
goes  on  step  by  step,  and  the  change,  to  an  occasional  visitor,  seems 
almost  magical.  ioo,ooocubic  yards  or  more  of  clay  make  a  substratum 
to  the  grass-plats  ;  tens  of  thousands  of  loads  of  black  soil  and  the  fer- 
tilizing city  street-sweepings  make  the  top-dressing  ;  thousands  of  trees, 
home-grown  and  imported,  soon  stand  in  orderly  confusion,  and  behold! 
the  wilderness  blossoms  as  the  rose. 

Lincoln  Park,  itself,  is  the  only  park  under  the  control  oi  the  Com- 


SCEXE    IN   DOUGLAS  PARK. 


missioners  of  Lincoln  Park ;  its  acreage,  including  the  area  within  the 
shore  protection  now  in  process  of  construction,  is  325  acres,  of  which 
300 acres  are  improved.  Its  driveways,  outside  its  own  limits  and  those 
of  the  Lake  Shore  Drive,  are : 

Lincoln  Park  Boulevard,  one-fourth  of  a  mile  (being  Pine  Street 
from  Pearson  to  Oak  Street). 

North  Avenue  Boulevard  (Clark  Street  to  Lake  Shore  Drive), 
one-fourth  of  a  mile. 

North  Park  Avenue  Boulevard  (Center  Street  to  Fullerton  Avenue), 
one  half-mile. 

Lake  View  Avenue  Boulevard  (Diversey  Avenue  to  Belmont 
Avenue),  one  half-mile. 


THE  BEAUTY  SPOTS. 


373 


Diversey  Avenue  Boulevard  (Clark  Street  to  Lake  Shore)  one- 
fourth  of  a  mile. 

The  city  council  of  Chicago  recently  transferred  to  the  Lincoln 
Park  Board  control  of  Fullerton  Avenue  from  Clark  Street  to  North 
Park  Avenue,  nearly  one-fourth  of  a  mile,  and  it  is  now  being  improved  ; 
the  city  council  also  transferred  the  control  of  Diversey  Avenue  from 
Clark  Street  west  to  the  North  Branch  (the  exact  distance  unknown). 

It  has  been  conditionally  accepted  by  the  Commissioners — but  it  is 
probable  an  amendatory  ordinance  will  be  passed  before  the  Board 
assumes  control. 


Miles  and  acres 
of  the  Lincoln 
Park  system. 


SCENE   IX   DOUGLAS   PARK. 


The  Board  issued  seven  per  cent,  bonds  for  land  amounting  to 
Of  these  650  have  been  paid 

Outstanding 


$900,000 
650,000 


$250 


Original  cost 
,OOO     and  present 
debt. 


$50,000  of  this  issue  is  retired  in  April  of  each  year.  Beside 
these,  $350,000  of  five  per  cent,  bonds  have  been  issued  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  outer  drive  and  protection. 

There  has  been  expended  on  account  of  Land  Improvement  and 
Maintenance,  from  1869  to  April  i,  1891,  the  sum  of  $5,250,264,  and 
the  only  sum  unpaid  is  the  bonded  debt  of  $600,000  before  mentioned. 

For  the  year  ending  April  30,  1891,  the  receipts  were  $347,566, 
and  the  outlays  $341,364. 


374 


THE  STORY  OF   CHICAGO. 


The  successive  Commissioners  have  been  Ezra  B.  McCagg,  John 
B.  Turner,  Joseph  Stockton,  Jacob  Rehm,  Andrew  Nelson,  Samuel  M. 
Nickerson,  William  H.  Bradley,  Francis  H.  Kales,  Belden  F.  Culver, 
Frederick  H.  Winston,  Anthony  C.  Hesing,  Thomas  F.  Withrow,  L.  J. 
Kadish,  Max  Hjortsberg,  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  Charles  Catlin,  and  J. 
McGregor  Adams.  The  Commissioners  for  1891  are  William  C. 
Goudy,  President;  C.  J.  Blair,  Treasurer;  E.  S.  Taylor,  Secretary,  and 
Horatio  N.  May,  Andrew  E.  Leicht,  Joseph  Stockton  and  John  Worthy. 


It  is  unquestionable  that  the  park  and  boulevard  system  of  Chicago 
was  planned  and  carried  out  far  ahead  of  the  city's  actual  needs.     In 


SCENE   IN  GARFIELD  PARK. 


Park  System 

stiii  beyond 

present  needs. 


truth,  even  at  the  present  writing  (1891  )  they  are  beyond  all  proportion 
to  the  use  made  of  them.  Large  expanses  of  park  are  lonely  solitudes, 
except  on  some  special  feast  day.  Long  stretches  of  boulevard  are  as 
inappropriate  to  their  respective  neighborhoods  as  would  be  a  cathedral 

.  ,„..,.  11-11  11 

in  a  country  village.      1  his  being  so  when  the  city  has  long  passed  the 

* 

million  mark,  how  almost  absurd  must  they  have  seemed  when  they  were 
laid  out  encircling  (though  far  away  from)  a  town  of  only  300,000  souls! 
They  fitted  about  as  well  as  a  wedding  ring  on  a  baby  girl's  finger.  But, 
all  this  being  true,  it  only  proves  the  projectors  to  have  had  the  gift  of 
second-sight.  If  it  had  not  been  done  when  it  was,  it  would  have  been 
impossible  ever  afterward.  In  spite  of  the  loudly-blamed  greed  of  the 
property  owners  (who  in  general,  though  not  invariably,  got  every 


THE  BEAUTY  SPOTS. 


375 


penny  they  could)  the  land  was  bought  at  prices  far  below  present 
values.  The  limit  of  permitted  rates  of  assessment  (between  one  and 
two  cents  on  the  hundred  dollars  of  value)  gave,  at  first,  very  scanty 
means  for  improvements  and  sinking  funds  ;  but  as  surrounding  lands 
and  lots  rise  (partly  by  aid  of  the  parks  and  boulevards  themselves)  the 
same  old  rates  give  generous  yearly  sums  to  the  successive  Boards) 
while  the  lessening  of  the  debt,  by  calling  in  bonds  for  the  sinking 


GRANI 


:LEVARD. 


funds,  reduces  year  by  year  the  interest  charges,  so  that  in  the  Colum- 
bian year  the  whole  system  will  be  substantially  clear  of  incumbrance, 
while  the  available  funds  will  authorize  expenditures  not  less  than  mag- 
nificent. Not  only  has  this  generation  planned  for  the  next  and  its 
successors  a  princely  pleasure  ground,  it  has  bought  it  and  paid  for  it, 
and  devises  it  to  the  future  free  of  the  usual  purchase-money  mortgage. 
And  this,  too,  achieved  by  the  burnt-out  generation,  the  rebuilders  of 
the  ruined  city. 


ncreasmg 
means  and 


Bought  and 
paid  for;  a 
free  Rift  to 
the  future. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


RIOTS  AND  THEIR  SUPPRESSION. 

VERY  city,  the  majority  of  the  citizens 
whereof  are  householders,  is  safe,  not 
from  riots,  but  from  successful  riots.  He 
who  has  much  to  lose  is  a  sure  defender 
of  law  and  order.  Building  societies  are 
the  best  form  of  special  police  and  civic, 
unarmed  militia.  The  dangerous  classes 
are  nomadic;  rovers,  "  foot-loose,"  dwell- 
ers in  tents,  figuratively,  if  not  literally. 
The  home-lover  is  not  formidable  for 
attack  and  aggression,  but  for  defence  he 
is  invincible. 


A  city  of  homes 
safe  from 
certain 
dangers. 


Trade  unions 
necessary  and 
proper. 


The  Pittsburg 
Riots. 


On  the  other  hand,  combinations  of 
wage-earners  are  natural  and  proper,  as 
are  also  combinations  of  employers.  The 
latter  are  not  prone  to  advance  wages  (however  reasonably)  except  upon 
necessity,  and  that  necessity  is  not  brought  to  bear,  except  by  the  refu- 
sal of  employes  to  work  at  the  lower  rates  ;  nor  will  the  wage-earners 
consent  to  a  reduction  (however  necessary)  except  by  the  refusal  of  all 
employers  to  pay  the  higher.  Both  seem  to  be  as  necessary  as  are  two 
parties  in  national  politics.  Their  contests  and  clashings  are  inevitable 
and  lawful  (so  long  as  peacefully  carried  on),  and  from  them  comes  the 
"  market  rate,"  the  meeting  point  of  supply  and  demand. 

In  July,  1877,  occurred  what  were  known  as  the  "Railroad  Riots," 
in  reality  a  combined  and  premeditated  effort  on  the  part  of  wage-earn- 
ers all  over  the  Union  to  force  down  the  hours  of  labor  and  force  up  the 
rates  of  wages,  the  railroads  being  chosen  as  the  point  of  attack.  In 
many  Eastern  cities  there  were  great  riots,  with  bloody  results,  espe- 
cially in  Pittsburg,  where  the  killed  and  wounded,  among  citizen-soldiers 
and  citizen  workmen,  numbered  hundreds.*  In  Chicago  on  July  23rd, 
a  mass-meeting  of  laborers  was  called  at  Market  Square  (Market, 
Madison  and  Washington  Streets),  at  which  speeches  were  made,  coun- 

*  In  Pittsburg,  mismanagement  (complicated  with  treachery  or  cowardice)  led  to  dreadful  disaster.  The  local 
military  refused  or  failed  to  support  the  civil  power,  whereupon  regiments  from  other  pans  of  Pennsylvania  were  brought 
into  service.  These  probably  opened  fire  too  soon— certainly  stopped  too  soon  after  the  fight  was  upon  them.  The 
enraged  rioters  by  thousands  surrounded  them,  and  drove  them  into  the  railway  machine  shops  and  engine  houses,  then 
set  fire  to  the  places  of  refuge.  The  militia  sought  refuge  m  the  armories  of  the  city  companies  and  were  refused.  They 
dispersed  and  were  killed  and  wounded  in  large  numbers.  Every  vestige  of  railway  property  was  burned— buildings, 
machinery  and  rolling  stock,  including  125  first-class  engines.  The  loss  aggregated  $10,000,000. 

376 


RIOTS  AND    THEIR   SUPPRESSION. 


377 


Chicago. 


selling  mob  violence.  On  Tuesday  some  hundreds  of  men  and  boys 
marched  down  Canal  Street,  warning  from  their  work  all  laborers  in 
coal-yards,  lumber-yards,  factories  and  railway-yards,  and  threatening  Fi 
with  violence  any  who  persisted  in  their  occupations.  These  were  dis- 
persed by  the  police,  but  the  isolated  bands  continued  their  paralyzing 
interference,  so  that  before  the  next  morning  industry  was  almost  at  a 
stand-still.  The  railroads,  except  some  mail-trains,  were  entirely 
stopped. 

Warned  by  the  occurrences  at  Pittsburg,  where  gun-stores  were 
raided  and  the  mob  armed  with  their  contents,  the  Police  (M.C.  Hickey, 
Supt.,  and  Joseph  H.  Dixon,  Deputy)  requested  fire-arm  dealers  to  re 
move  all  weapons  from  their  win- 
dows to  a  place  of  safety,  a  request 
which  they  willingly  complied  with, 
well  knowing  that  if  called  on  to 
part  with  their  wares  it  would  be 
in  a  way  devoid  of  profit  to  their 
pockets.  Handbills  were  circu- 
lated calling  another  mass-meeting 
at  Market  Square  on  Tuesday 
evening,  but  the  assembly  was 
prevented  by  the  police,  who  dis- 
persed the  crowds  as  fast  as  they 
arrived.  By  Tuesday  evening  322 
special  policemen  had  been  called 
into  service,  and  over  125  rioters 
arrested  and  confined.  Mayor 
Heath  issued  his  proclamation  call- 
ing on  citizens  to  organize  protec- 

tive associations  in  each  ward,  and  the  First  and  Second  Regiments  of 
militia,  with  Bolton's  Veteran  Battery,  the  Battalion  of  Cavalry  and 
some  smaller  armed  companies  were  assembled  at  their  respective 
armories.  Beside  these,  the  Grand  Army  posts  and  other  veteran 

..  .  i  •  r  i  •  f 

organizations  offered  their  services,  and,  as  if  by  magic,  a  force  estimated  Defence. 
at  20,000  men  was  enrolled  for  the  defence  of  law,  order  and  property. 
A.  C.  Ducat,  Major  General,  and  Joseph  T.  Torrence,  Brigadier 
General  of  State  Militia,  and  took  immediate  command  of  the  force, 
making  up  their  staffs  from  such  material  as  could  be  readily  found, 
availing  themselves,  as  far  as  possible,  of  men  who  had  seen  service 
during  the  rebellion,  as  both  the  generals  named  had  done.  Mayor 
Heath  placed  the  public  defence  entirely  in  their  hands,  ordering  the 
police  force  to  report  to  General  Torrence  for  orders. 


GEN.  JOSEPH  T.  TORREVCE. 


forces  lor 


37S 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Outbreak  and 
bloodshed. 


Points  to  be 
defended . 


The  earliest,  longest  and  latest  parts  of  the  struggle  fell  necessarily 
on  the  police,  which  certainly  acquitted  itself  admirably.  To  quote 
Andreas  (3  Hist.  Chic.,  109): 

The  first  actual  violence  occurred  on  Wednesday.  The  rioters,  growing  bolder,  began  driving 
men  from  work  and  destroying  property  in  the  lumber  districts,  and  massed  900  strong  near 
McCormick's  reaper  factory  on  Blue  Island  avenue.  Here  a  detachment  of  police,  under  command 
of  Lieutenants  Cailahan  and  Vescy,  routed  the  mob.  A  second  mob,  at  Van  Buren  Street  bridge, 
was  dispersed  by  Lieutenant  Ebersold;  and  still  another,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Illinois  Central  eleva- 
tors, by  Lieutenant  Bell  and  Sergeant  Brennan.  Before  noon  a  dozen  outbreaks  occurred  in  the 
various  divisions  of  the  city,  in  which  men  were  beaten,  windows  broken  and  street  cars  stopped. 
The  saloons  were  ordered  to  be  closed,  trucks  were  kept  in  readiness  to  carry  the  police. 
A  mass-meeting  of  the  rioters  was  broken  up  and  their  platforms  torn  down.  .  .  At  the  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Round-house,  on  Sixteenth  Street,  Lieutenant  Macauley  and  Sergeant  Ryan's  detail 
had  a  half-hour  battle  with  the  rioters,  during  which  five  of  the  latter  were  shot  dead.  That  evening 
Pribyl's  gun  store  on  South  Halsted  Street  was  raided,  and  the  arms  taken  by  the  mob. 


DAVID  QUIRK. 


MAYOR  HEATH. 


Thursday  morning  the  rioters  were  massed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Sixteenth  Street  viaduct 
Lieutenant  Bischoff's  detail  were  fired  on,  special  policemen  Landacher  and  Shanley  being  wounded. 
.  .  Alarming  rumors  of  riot  and  carnage  were  afloat  and  each  fusillade  intensified  the  popular 
excitement.  The  hour  for  decisive  action  had  come,  and  the  First  and  Second  regiments,  com 
manded  respectively  by  Colonel  S.  B.  Sherer  and  Colonel  James  Quirk,  were  ordered  by  General 
Torrence  to  report  at  the  scene  of  disturbance  to  Police  Captain  Seavey. 

The  points  of  first  importance  to  be  protected  were  the  water- 
works, the  fire  department  whenever  it  should  be  called  out  by  an 
alarm,  the  various  distilleries  with  their  large  stores  of  spirits,  and 
whenever  they  should  resume  their  operations,  the  railroads.  The  resi- 
dence portions  of  the  city  were  protected  by  organized  bodies  of  citizens 
who  patrolled  the  streets  by  regular  "reliefs"  and  made  any  organized 
attack  on  private  property  hopeless — if  any  plan  for  such  attack  was 
ever  entertained,  which  is  not  proven  and  not  probable. 


RIOTS  AND    THEIR    SUPPRESSION. 


379 


Turning  now  to  General  Torrence  s  report,  it  appears  that  : 

The  Union  Veterans,  a  force  wholly  composed  of  old  and  tried  soldiers,  not  connected  with 
the  State  military  organization,  but  sworn  in  as  special  policemen,  reported  to  me  for  duty  and 
obeyed  orders  from  headquarters.  The  command  was  organized  and  equipped  under  the  efficient 
supervision  of  General  Reynolds,  Colonel  Owen  Stuart,  General  O.  L.  Mann  and  General  Martin 
Beem,  on  the  24th  of  July  [Tuesday];  and  from  that  time  forward  was  almost  constantly  engaged 
in  the  performance  of  duties  which  were  of  the  first  importance  to  the  preservation  of  public  order. 
Company  A,  Captain  Lewis  F.  Jacobs,  and  Company  D,  Captain  Charles  H.  French,  were  on  duty 
for  several  days,  guarding  the  Phoenix  Distillery  [Clybourn  Ave.  Bridge],  which  was  seriously 
threatened  by  mobs.  Company  B,  Captain  L.  W.  Pierce,  was  the  first  fully  organized  and  equippedj 
and  was  employed  in  guarding  the  North  and  West  Side  water-works.  Company  F,  Captain  C.  R. 
E.  Koch,  was  mainly  occupied  in  protecting  the  distillery  at  the  corner  of  Canalport  Avenue  and 
Morgan  Street.  General  Lieb  also  recruited  and  commanded  a  company  of  veterans,  which  was  of 
the  greatest  service 

The  infantry  was  moved  from  its  armories  for  the  first  time  on 
Thursday,  July  26th.  The  First  was  then  marched  to  the  Exposition 
building  (Lake  Front  Park)  and  the  Second 
to  the  Rock  Island  Railway  Station.  At 
10  A.  M.  Captain  Williams,  with  Lackey's 
Zouaves,  the  North  Chicago  Light  Guard 
and  his  own  company  of  the  First,  marched 
to  the  corner  of  Milwaukee  and  Chicago 
Avenues,  near  Halsted  Street  bridge,  where 
the  police  were  hard  pressed.  At  1  1  A.  M. 
.the  main  body  of  the  First  was  marched  to 
the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station,  where 
it  was  joined  by  one  gun  of  Bolton's  veteran 
battery,  when  the  force  was  marched  to 
the  eastern  end  of  Twelfth  Street  bridge, 
where  the  gun  was  placed  in  position  to 
command  the  bridge,  the  infantry  support-  CAPTAIN  JOHN  BONFIELD. 
ing.  The  Second  at  the  same  time  took  its  position  at  the  West 
Twelfth  Street  Station,  supporting  a  second  gun  of  Bolton's  battery. 
Thursday  night  the  troops  occupied  the  following  positions:  Four 
companies  of  the  Second,  under  Colonel  Quirk,  on  Halsted  Street  via- 
duct,  and  three  companies  under  Major  Murphy  between  the  viaduct 
and  Twelfth  Street;  two  companies  of  the  First  at  Twelfth  Street 
bridge,  two  at  Jefferson  Street  and  two  near  West  Twelfth  Street 
Turner  Hall. 

General  Torrence's  report  continues  : 

On  the  26th  of  July  [Thursday]  a  strong  veteran  cavalry  force  of  about  150  men  was 
organized  by  Major  James  H.  B.  Daly,  assisted  by  General  Shaffner.  .     Immediately  upon 

being  mounted  and  equipped,  the  troops  under  Captains  Waters,  McNeill  and  Agramonte  were 
ordered  to  the  scene  of  disturbance—  the  Halsted  Street  viaduct—  in  the  neighborhood  of  which 
they  remained  on  duty  all  day,  making  many  charges  and  capturing  a  number  of  prisoners,  some 
in  the  open  streets  and  others  in  houses  from  which  shots  had  been  fired,  and  dispersing  groups  of 
rioters.  General  Torrence  took  command  of  the  cavalry  on  Halsted  Street  and  at  the  viaduct  in 
person.  The  conflict  on  Halsted  Street  having  terminated  in  the  discomfiture  of  the  rioters,  the 


'*"^  To|J'',nC''* 
forces. 


United  States 
Regulars. 


Unanimity  in 
thedefendeis. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

cavalry  was  employed  for  the  remainder  of  the  time  in  patrolling  the  disaffected  districts.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  overestimate  the  services  rendered  by  the  cavalry,  some  of  whom  were  almost  con- 
stantly in  the  saddle  performing  duties  of  the  most  exhausting  and  harassing  nature. 

Two  companies  of  United  States  infantry  arrived  during  the  prog- 
ress of  the  affair,  and  their  soldierly  quiet  and  dignified  bearing  were  a 
matter  of  admiration  and  inspiration  to  the  local  forces.  They  reported 
to  the  State  commanders  and  were  posted  in  exposed  positions.  As  is 
usual  wherever  they  appear,  all  over  the  Union,  they  were  received 
with  respectful  welcome.  Even  in  cases  where  local  militia  are  subject 
to  jibes,  if  not  opposition,  "the  regulars"  never  fail  to  meet  with 
cordiality.  Men  may  be  jealous  of  their  neighbors  in  arms,  but  are  sure 
to  look  upon  National  soldiers  with  pride  and  affection. 

It  is  certain  that  all  the  troops 
behaved  with  exemplary  faithful- 
ness, discipline  and  self-restraint. 
They  were  never  in  the  way  when 
the  police  found  themselves  ade- 
quate to  the  emergency,  and  never 
out  of  the  way  when  the  civil  force 
required  help.  It  was  a  task  of 
some  delicacy  to  assign  its  place  to 
each  body  of  troops,  not  because 
any  hung  back,  but  because  each 
chafed  at  being  held  back.  The 
First  was  stigmatized  as  the  "  silk- 
stocking"  regiment,  and  the  Second 
was  even  (by  persons  who  did  not 
know  it  well)  distrusted  as  possible 
sympathizers  with  the  striking  riot- 
ers. The  Second  burned  to  show 
its  loyalty,  and  when  the  First  was 
moved  from  the  armory  before  orders  were  received  by  the  Second,  the 
latter  made  known  its  displeasure  in  no  uncertain  terms.  In  fact,  there 
was  not,  nor  has  there  ever  been,  any  feeling  in  either  except  eager- 
ness to  prove  its  usefulness  and  devotion  to  duty,  harm  who  it  might. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  troops  judged  by  nationality.  The  Clan-na- 
Gael  Guards  were  as  trustworthy  as  Lackey's  Zouaves  or  the  North 
Chicago  Light  Guard  :  All  were  simply  Americans  and  citizen  soldiers 
of  Chicago. 

The  grand  display  of  force  made  any  severe  use  of  force  needless. 
It  seems  that  riots  do  not  start  out  with  many  persons  resolved  to  break 
law,  but  grow  by  the  excitement  of  any  early  success  that  may  attend 
them,  drawing  into  their  bad  influence  idle  spectators,  carried  away  by 


JUDGE  JOSEPH   E.  GARY. 


RIOTS  AND    THEIR   SUPP  RESSION. 


38J 


the  infection  of  excited  example.  Panics  grow  and  spread  in  like 
manner.  Men  may  be  "  stampeded  "  forward  as  well  as  backward  ;  to 
attack  as  well  as  to  fly.  This  riot  was  like  an  Alpine  snow-ball  scattered 
by  a  timely  obstruction  ;  but  for  which  it  might  have  become  an  ava- 
lanche. 

The  stampede,  in  this  case,  seized  upon  the  "upper  classes," at  the 
dawning  of  the  day  of  trouble.  Not  that  there  was  any  general  exodus 
(though  some  few  men  were  "compelled  to  leave  town"  with  their 


The  threatened 
avalanche 
scattered  at 
the  start. 


HAY   MARKET. 


families),  but  there  was  general  alarm,  consternation,  dismay,  earnest 
appeal  to  all  who  had  any  experience  in  military  matters — a  degree  of 
trepidation  which  was  not  without  its  entertaining  features  to  such 
as  did  not  share  it.  The  newspapers  blazed  with  what  are  technically 
called  "scare  headlines."  At  the  first  collision  one  saw  "the  pale  air 
streaked  with  blood."  At  this  stage  the  force  which  stood  between 
property  and  its  perils  were  "  brave  defenders,"  and  nothing  they  could 
ask  was  too  good  for  them.  They  asked  nothing  but  arms,  ammuni- 
tion, supplies  and  means  of  transportation  ;  these  furnished,  they  did 
their  duty  quietly,  incessantly  for  seven  days  and  nights,  till  all  anxiety 
was  over,  the  railways  again  running,  the  wheels  of  industry  turning 
and  life  and  money-making  going  on  as  usual.  Then  all  was  changed, 


Fear  ol  the  mob 
succeeded  by 
jibe*  at  the 
military. 


Thankless 
of  the  m 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

blanched  faces  grew  red  with  laughter,  the  timid  grew  jocular — it  had 
been  a  huge  joke !  The  public  press  was  not  ashamed  to  turn  the 
defence  to  ridicule,  publishing  the  names  and  personal  characteristics 
of  inconspicuous  actors  in  the  drama,  and,  with  exquisite  irony,  prefix- 
ing the  title  of  "  General  "  to  each.  If  the  militia  had  originally  paused 
to  raise  the  question  of  regimental  armories,  money  for  uniforms,  flags, 
music  and  other  requisites  of  fine  "  soldiering,"  they  might  have  gotten 
iitia.  all  they  had  been  so  long  asking  in  vain.  But  they  stopped  for  noth- 
ing, and  consequently  are  still  (1891)  giving,  not  only  their  time  but 
much  money  they  can  ill  spare,  all  in  the  service  of  a  heedless  and 
ungrateful  public. 

Probably  very  few  of  those  who  "  turned  out "  thought  of  any  pos- 
sible money  equivalent  for  their  efforts,  but  as  soon  as  the  Legislature 
met  all  were  paid  in  proper  proportion  to  their  rank  and  term  of  service. 

THE    ANARCHIST    RIOT    AND    ITS   SEQUEL. 


It  seemed  likely  that  a  generation  might  pass  before  there  would 
come  another  collision  between  law  and  lawlessness.  Such  storms  are 
wont  to  clear  the  air  and  make  all  ready  for  a  long  calm  diversified  by 
only  gentle  showers  and  soft  zephyrs.  So  far  as  concerns  anything  like 
a  popular  uprising  the  railroad  riots -may  turn  out  to  be  the  last  for 
several  decades,  but  within  a  single  one  a  new  collision  between  law  and 
The  \narchit  anarcny  took  place ;  the  latter  being  a  struggle  wherein  reputable  labor 
movement,  had  no  recognized  place.  It  was  in  1886  that  certain  professed  and 
professional  law  contemners  (all  of  foreign  birth)  tried  to  bring  the 
masses  of  American  working-men  to  the  principles  or  sentiments  enter- 
tained by  certain  European  theorists  who  hold  with  Marat  that  "prop- 
erty is  robbery,"  that  law  is  oppression,  and  that  order  is  slavery. 
Right  or  wrong,  the  American  public  disagrees  with  them,  and  they 
are  in  a  minority  so  hopeless  as  to  be  pitiful.  They  are  not  either 
loved,  hated  or  feared  ;  they  are  only  laughed  at. 

In  that  year  they  fancied  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  a  revolution  in 
their  favor.  This  was  only  one  of  their  delusions,  as  the  world  thinks  and 


RIOTS  AND    THEIR  SUPPRESSION. 


3S3 


as  the  result  tends  to  prove.  Two  newspapers,  the  "  Arbeiter-Zeitung  " 
and  the  "  Appeal,"  socialistic,  communistic  or  anarchistic,  it  is  hard  to 
say  which,  had  been  leading  a  struggling  existence  for  some  time,  the 
former  edited  by  a  zealous  and  able  man  named  August  Spies,  and 

f> 

printed  and  published  by  him  in  connection  with  Balthazar  Rau,  Albert 
Parsons,  Michael  Schwab,  Gustav  Fischer,  Rudolph  Schnaubelt,  Louis 
Lingg  and  others;  and  these  men  had  really  formed  sundry  clubs,  called 


'X**S:e«^ 

JURY  IN  THE  ANARCHIST  CASE. 

"Lehr  und  Wehr  Verein,"with  "Armed  Groups,"  which  were  secretly 
sworn  in,  armed,  drilled  and  organized  for  a  war  with  the  great  Ameri- 
can Nation.  They  were  not  crazy  enough  to  fancy  that  these  squads 
could,  single-handed,  cope  with  the  powers  that  be;  but  just  crazyTheirfoUy> 
enough  to  believe  that  a  little  bit  of  success  at  the  start  would  bring  to 
their  side  the  mass  of  wage-earners  of  Chicago,  and  then  those  of  other 
towns  and  cities.  (What  part  the  far  greater  masses  of  agriculturists 
•were  to  play  does  not  appear.) 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Difference  be 
tween  labor 
unionists  and 
anarchists. 


Shorter  hours  of  labor  was  the  reform  aimed  at  in  the  agitation  of 
1885-86.  This  the  communists  did  not  favor,  calling  it  a  half-way  meas- 
ure, likely  to  postpone  complete  communism.  Albert  R.  Parsons  wrote 
in  the  "Alarm" : 

The  private  possession  of  property,  or  ownership  of  the  means  of  production  and  exchange, 
places  the  propertyless  class  in  the  power  and  control  of  the  propertied  class,  since  they  can  refuse 
bread,  or  the  chance  to  earn  it,  to  all  the  wage-classes  who  refuse  to  obey  their  dictation.  Eight 
hours,  or  less  hours,  is,  therefore,  under  existing  conditions,  a  lost  battle.  The  private  property 
system  employs  labor  only  to  exploit  (rob)  it,  and  while  the  system  is  in  vogue,  the  victims — those  it 
disinherits — have  only  the  choice  of  submission  or  starvation. 

The  McCormick  Reaper  Works,  after  long  and  bitter  negotiations 
with  their  men,  closed  voluntarily  on  February  16,  1886.  This  was  the 
communists'  opportunity, 'and  they  urged  the  idle  wage-workers  to 
violence.  They  formed  and  drilled  two  "  armed  groups,"  experimented 
with  dynamite  and  the  making  of  bombs,  and  looked  for  the  "Great 
upheaval."  At  the  same  time  the  McCormick  Company  hired  detect- 


Trouble  at 
McCormick's 
Reaper-works. 


ives,  and  the  regular  police  placed  500  men  on  the  ground  to  preserve 
order.  Under  the  advice  of  the  press  and  leading  citizens,  the  Company 
raised  wages,  but  insisted  on  employing  whom  they  pleased,  union  or 
non-union.  This  started  the  works — and  the  disturbances;  for  every 
"  scab"  was  marked  for  insult  and  injury  by  the  "  unionists." 

Saturday,  May  i,  1886,  was  the  day  set  for  the  universal  eight-hour 
strike.  On  Monday,  May  3rd,  a  crowd  of  10,000  collected  not  far  from 
the  McCormick  Works.  August  Spies  addressed  the  men,  advising  them 
to  arm  themselves  with  "dynamite,  rifles,  shot-guns,  pistols,  clubs,  sticks, 
stones" — anything  they  could  use,  and  make  a  bold  stroke  for  "freedom." 
The  factory  was  attacked,  the  chief  sufferers  being  non-union  moulders 
in  the  foundry.  Two  officers,  Condon  and  West,  trying  to  defend  the 
"  scabs,"  were  badly  beaten.  Reinforcements  of  police  arrived  and  a 
fierce  struggle  occurred.  About  half  a  dozen  rioters  were  killed  and 
half  a  hundred  wounded.  From  this  scene  Spies  went  to  the  office  of 
the  "Arbeiter-Zeitung,"  and  there  wrote  a  circular,  as  follows  : 

Revenge!  Workingmen,  to  arms  !  Your  masters  sent  out  their  bloodhounds,  the  police.  They 
killed  six  of  your  brothers  at  McCormick's  this  afternoon.  They  killed  them  because  they  had  the 
courage  to  disobey  the  supreme  will  of  your  bosses;  they  killed  them  because  they  dared  to  ask  for 
the  shortening  of  the  hours  of  toil;  they  killed  them  10  show  you,  free  American  citizens,  that  you 


RIOTS  AND    THEIR  SUPPRESSION. 


3S5 


must  be  satisfied  and  contented  with  whatever  your  bosses  condescend  to  allow  you,  or  you  will  get 

killed.      You  have  for  years  suffered  unmeasurable  iniquities,  you  have  worked  yourself  to  death, 

you  have  endured  the  pangs  of  want  and  hunger,  your  children  you  •have  sacrificed  to  the  factory 

lords— in  short,  you  have  been  miserable  and  obedient  slaves  all  these  years.    Why?    To  satisfy  the  The  "Revenge" 

insatiable  greed,  to  fill  the  coffers  of  your  lazy,  thieving  masters.     When  you  ask  them  now  to  lessen 

the  burthen,  they  send  their  bloodhounds  out  to  shoot  you — kill  you.     If  you  are  men,  if  you  are  the 

sons  of  your  grandsires,  who  have  shed  their  blood  to  free  you,  then  you  will  rise  in  your  might, 

Hercules,  and  destroy  the  hideous  monster  that  seeks  to  destroy  you.      To  arms  !      We  call  you  to 

arms  !  YOUR  BROTHERS. 

The  "  brothers"  in  whose  name  he  signed  the  "  Revenge  "  circular 
were  the  little  separate  knot  of  communists.  To  each  of  their  "armed 
groups  "was  sent  the  word  "  Ruhe  "( Rest),  which,  as  afterward  dis- 
closed, was  the  agreed  watchword  for  a  forcible  uprising  which  should 
put  into  use  their  warlike  preparations. 

That  night  a  meeting  took  place  in  Haymarket  Square  (West 
Randolph  and  Desplaines  Streets),  which  soon  moved  north  on  Des- 
plaines  to  the  nearest  alley,  where  stood  a  convenient  truck  to  serve  as 


a  speakers'  stand.     At  this  meeting  were  Fischer,  Engel,  Schwab,  Par- 
sons, Fielden,  Spies,  and  others  of  the  same  kidney. 

Reporter  Hull,  of  the  "  News,"  quotes  Parsons  as  saying : 

We  speak  harshly  of  the  scabs.  .  .  .  What  is  a  scab?  He  is  a  flea  on  a  dog.  Now  the 
trade-unionists  want  to  kill  the  scab,  or  flea,  while  the  socialists  want  to  kill  the  dog  itself  and  pre- 
vent fleas. 

This  is  an  apt  illustration  of  the  difference  between  a  labor  rioter 
and  a  communistic  agitator.  The  blows  of  the  former  are  struck 
against  laborers  who  propose  to  underbid  the  unionists ;  the  latter 
aims  at  the  employer. 

Parsons  in  his  speech  also  said : 

You  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  the  law  except  to  lay  hands  on  it  and  throttle  it  until  it 
makes  its  last  kick.  .  .  .  Keep  your  eye  upon  it.  Throttle  it.  Kill  it.  Stab  it.  Do  every- 
thing you  can  to  wound  it — to  impede  its  progress.  .  .  .  Don't  turn  over  your  business  to  any- 
body else.  No  man  deserves  anything  unless  he  is  man  enough  to  make  an  effort  to  lift  himself 
from  oppression. 

Six  platoons  of  police  now  came  on  the  scene.  They  took  up  the 
whole  width  of  Desplaines  Street  and  swept  it  clean  as  they  advanced— 
the  people  retiring  without  resistance.  Captains  Bonfield  and  Ward 
marched  in  front  of  the  leading  platoon.  On  reaching  a  point  near  the 


Parsons*  speech 
at  the  Hay- 
market. 


386  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

speakers'  stand  (the  truck)  Captain  Ward  gave  the  word  "  Halt;"  then 
stepping  forward  to  within  three  feet  of  the  truck  he  cried,  "I  com- 
mand you,  in  the  name  of  the  people  of  the  State,  immediately  and 
peaceably  to  disperse  ;"  and  turning  to  the  right  and  left  added,  "  I  com- 
mand you,  and  you,  to  assist." 

There  was  a  hissing  sound  from  the  ground  in  the  middle  of  the 

police    array  and  then  a  tremendous   explosion.       Sixty-seven  of  the 

Erosion,      police   were   wounded    (of   whom  seven  died):    A   moment's  conster- 

"e°auth.sa      nation  seized  the  unhurt,  but   not  a    moment's  disorder,  for   on  the 

instant  rang  out  the  voice  of  Officer  Fitzpatrick:  "  Close  up,  form  into 

line  and  charge."     The  conspirators  had  perhaps  expected  that  more 

than  one  bomb  would  be  thrown  ;  at  any  rate,  except  a  pistol  fusillade 

(afterward  denied  by  the  accused),  they  fled  in  disorder,  leaving  many 

wounded  on  the  ground,  victims  of  the  pistols  rapidly  and  effectively 

used  by  the  advancing  officers. 

Next  day,  Wednesday,  May  5th,  began  the  arrests.  Fielden, 
Spies,  Engel,  Neebe,  Schwab,  Fischer,  Lingg,  Rau  and  others  were 
Arrests.  taken  into  custody.  Rudolph  Schnaubelt  was  taken,  but  for  some  rea- 
son or  other  released;  though  later  the  opinion  gained  ground  that  he 
was  the  one  of  the  conspirators  who  actually  threw  the  fatal  bomb. 
Dynamite,  loaded  and  unloaded  bombs,  moulds,  fulminating  caps,  pipe 
and  lead  for  making  bombs,  arms,  ammunition  and  incendiary  literature 
were  found  at  the  "  Arbeiter"  office,  at  Louis  Lingg's  home,  underside- 
walks  and  in  lumber  yards,  and  at  many  other  places,  some  quite  near 
the  scene  of  the  explosion. 

On  June  7th  the  trial  began.      In  impaneling  the  jury,  twenty-one 
days  were  consumed  and  982  men  examined,  under  the  cumbersome 
Trial,  and  fictitious  system  which  rules  criminal  practice  in  Illinois;  a  system 

£Sni's'hm0entan  that  has  survived  from  the  old  days  when  the  accused  were  really  in 
danger  from  the  oppression  of  the  court.  The  trial  lasted  sixty-two 
days.  The  prosecution  called  and  examined  143  witnesses  and  the 
defence  79.  Parsons,  Spies,  Engel,  Fischer,  Lingg,-  Fielden  and  Schwab 
were  found  guilty;  the  four  first  named  were  hanged,  Lingg  killed  him- 
self by  exploding  a  fulminating  capsule  in  his  mouth,  and  Fielden  and 
Schwab  were  sent  to  prison  for  life;  where  to  this  time  (1891)  they 
remain. 

Julius  S.  Grinnell  was    State's  Attorney,  and  to  his  excellent  con- 
duct of  the  prosecution  was  its  success  attributable  more  than  to  any 

Judge  Gary  .    ..         .  .   .  .  ,.  - 

and  Prostcmorother  one  agency;  while  the  wise,  able  and  correct  rulings  or  the  veteran 

Grinnell.  *>  •  ' 

Judge  Joseph  E.  Gary  were  the  efficient  cause  of  making  the  proceed- 
ings invulnerable  on  the  review  by  the  Supreme  Court. 

Loud    outcries    are     made    by    sympathizers    with    communism, 


JtfOTS  AND    THEIR  SUPPRESSION. 


387 


impugning  the  fairness  of  the  trial,  the  sufficiency  of  the  evidence,  the 
treatment  of  the  defence,  etc.  These  are  the  points  dwelt  upon,  not  the 
probable  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  accused.  But  the  world  will  take  a 
view  forbidden  to  court  and  jury;  will  start  from  the  other  end,  asking: 
"Was  dynamite  prepared  ?  Were  bombs  cast,  loaded  and  capped  ?  If 
so,  by  whom,  and  with  what  possible  lawful  purpose  ?  Were  articles 
published  advising  violence  ?  If  so,  by  whom  ?  Were  men  killed  by 
dynamite  while  in  the  act  of  breaking  up  a  communistic  meeting?  If 


so,  by  whom?"    So,  by  "exhaustive  analysis,"  will  the  world  probably 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  justice  was  done. 

The  most  noteworthy  thing  of  the  whole  momentous  story  is  not  the 
conduct  of  the  offenders,  or  of  the  police,  but  of  the  true  working  masses 
of  the  City,  State  and  Country,  not.  one  of  whom  raised  hand  or  voice  to 
defend  these  "  Saviors  of  Labor,"  or  made  any  public  utterance,  except 
to  disclaim  part  or  lot  in  the  effort  to  disturb  the  law  of  the  land;  that 
system  of  government  wherein  they  and  each  of  them  has  his  share  of 
control  through  the  ballot-box. 


The  erand  plan 

and  its  origin- 

«or. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

PULLMAN. 

\BOR,  law-abiding  industry,  leads  the  Chicago 
annalist  quite  naturally  to  the  discussion  of  the 
great  Pullman  experiment  —  say  rather  enter- 
prise, seeing  that  at  the  present  writing  (1891) 
it  seems  to  have  passed  from  the  stage  of  inno- 
vation to  that  of  approved  invention.  Like  other 
new  things,  it  received  scanty  approval,  and  still 
more  sparing  help,  from  any  one  except  the  orig- 
inator and  advocate  himself.  It  is  an  old  saying 
in  military  matters  that  "  a  council  of  war  never 
fights,"  and  it  is  equally  true  that'  an  industrial 
corporation  never  innovates.  In  each  case,  the 
new  departure  must  be  substantially  undertaken 
and  carried  through  by  the  Commander-in-Chief. 
If  he  chances  to  be  a  Marlborough,  a  Frederick, 
or  a  Clive,  he  wins  all;  if  a  Napoleon  III.,  he 
loses  all,  and  the  glory  or  the  ignominy  is  deserved 
and  bestowed  accordingly. 

In  1880  the  idea  long  entertained  by  George 
M.  Pullman  began  to  take  physical  shape  in 
architectural,  mechanical,  commercial,  industrial 
and  sociological  detail.  It  was,  perhaps,  quite 
as  well  that  he  had  to  carry  on  alone  the  cam- 
paign his  mind  had  conceived.  Divided  counsels 
are  not  strong  in  any  case,  and  Mr.  Pullman's 
nature  is  one  that  demands  not  countenance,  but 
seconding.  He  welcomes  knowledge  from  every  source,  but  would 
not  care  to  drive  a  team,  he  holding  one  rein  and  some  one  else  the 
other.  So,  having  ample  power,  though  little  sympathy  or  encourage- 
ment, he  managed  every  detail,  and  even  since  success  has  crowned 
the  work  there  is  no  man  who  disputes  with  him  the  credit  of  devising 
it,  or  of  arranging  its  details  down  to  the  smallest  particulars. 

The  tract  of  land  now  "  Pullman  "  at  the  beginning  of  1880  was  a 
lonely  waste  of  low,  nearly  level,  grassy  prairie,  on  the  west  shore  of 
Lake  Calumet,  fourteen  miles  south  of  the  centre  of  Chicago  and  eight 
miles  south  of  Hyde  Park,  the  nearest  suburb  of  the  city  itself.  It 


PULLMAN   WATER  TOWER. 


PULLMAN. 


3S9 


extended  about  two  miles  north  and  south,  by  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
average  width.  It  was  crossed  lengthwise  by  the  Illinois  Central  and 
Michigan  Central  Railways. 

This  was  the  unpromising  plain  whereon  the  prescient  eye  pictured 
—what  ?  That  which  exists  ten  years  later  ;  namely:  nearly  eight  miles 
of  paved  and  drained  streets,  including  a  grand  boulevard  (now  inth 
street  of  the  city  of  Chicago),  100  feet  wide,  abutting  on  the  lake:  Twenty- 
five  blocks  of  brick  dwellings  along  these  streets,  capable  of  housing 
1,750  families  :  A  steam-heated  arcade  building  250  by  164  feet,  con- 
taining all  the  mercantile  stores,  the  bank  and  the  post-office,  and,  in 
its  second  story,  rented  offices,  a  public  library  and  reading-room,  and  a 
pretty  and  well-appointed  theatre;  while  its  third  story  holds  lodge-rooms 
for  societies :  A  handsome  and 
well-kept  hotel:  School  houses(now 
in  charge  of  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Education),  where  1,000  pupils  a 
day  are  taught:  A  water-tower  195 
feet  high,  having  one  tank  contain- 
ing 500,000  gallons,  at  an  elevation 
great  enough  to  throw  water  over 
the  highest  building,  in  case  of  fire: 
A  market  no  by  100  feet  in  size, 
with  stalls  for  meat,  vegetables, 
fish,  poultry,  etc.;  and  in  its  upper 
story  a  public  hall  capable  of  seat- 
ing 600:  Gas-works  connected  with 
every  house  in  town:  Green-houses 
for  furnishing  the  town,  its  parks 
and  gardens  with  flowers  and 
shrubs:  Brick-yards,  ice-houses  along  the  lake  and  lumber  yards 
covering  eighty  acres.  Finally,  the  soul  of  the  whole  and  the  reason  of 
its  existence,  the  great  Pullman  car-works,  the  Union  Foundry,  the 
Drop  Forge  and  Foundry,  the  street-car  works,  the  Terra-Cotta  works, 
the  Standard  Knitting-mills,  the  Columbia  Screw  factory,  the  Allen 
Paper  Car-wheel  works,  the  Calumet  Paint-manufacturing  works,  the 
Pullman  Iron  and  Steel  works  and  other  enterprises 

It  is  perhaps  too  much  to  say  that  any  one  mind  could  grasp  in 
advance  each  of  these  details,  but  the  idea  contained  the  "  plan  and 
potentiality"  of  them  all,  and  laid  the  broad  and  deep  foundations 
on  which  they  could  rise,  have  risen  and  are'  constantly  growing. 
Then,  too,  Mr.  Pullman's  designing  mind  has  seized  each  position  and 
made  it  a  stepping-stone  for  each  further  advance.  It  has  been  his 


An  unpromising 
spot. 


GEO.  M.  PULLMAN. 


Magical    trans- 
formation. 


jpo  THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

"  daily  thought  and  nightly  dream,"  and  nothing  has  seemed  to  him  too 
good  and  great  for  his  "  model  town." 

The  commercial  result  may  be  loosely  summed  up  as  the  produc- 
tion on  weekly  average  of  ten  passenger  coaches,  three  sleeping-coaches, 
Tan<Tt°hrework.  24°  freight  cars,  and  several  street  cars  (making  about  four  cars  an  hour 
during  working  hours),  240  paper  car-wheels,  600  tons  of  rolled  iron, 
1,200,000  brick,  and  many  other  articles  of  minor  importance,  whereof 
the  value  is  estimated  at  $14,000,000  a  year.  This  comes  by  the  labor  of 
about  5,250  operatives  whose  average  earnings  are  $2  a  day  each.  Of 
these  only  a  few  are  children  (perhaps  200  in  all),  and  still  fewer  women, 
of  whom  only  1 50  are  employed.  Some  of  the  latter  hold  clerkships, 
some  work  in  the  upholstering  rooms,  and  some  in  the  knitting-mill. 

The  largest  single  motor  is  the  famous  '"Corliss  Engine,"  which 
won  so  much  admiration  by  its  majestic  beauty  of  form  and  opera- 
coriiss  Engine,  tion  as  the  source  of  motive  power  for  the  Philadelphia  Centennial 
Exposition.  It  is  a  simple  condensing  engine  of  2,500  horse-power. 
(The  total  engine  force  in  all  the  works  is  rated  at  8,632  horse-power.) 
The  Corliss  is  ample  for  its  purpose,  easily  run  and  cheap  to  keep  in 
repair  and  will  doubtless  last  for  many  years  unless  displaced  by  a 
"  triple  condensing  "  engine,  or  some  still  better  device  for  saving  fuel. 
The  "  triple  condensing"  has  a  scientific  beauty,  buttptheuninstructed 
eye  compares  but  poorly  with  the  stately  Corliss,  with  its  two  great 
eleven-ton  walking-beams  held  up  twenty-five  feet  above  the  floor  by  the 
great  A-shaped  frame.  The  engine-room  is  sixty  feet  high,  and  brilliantly 
lighted. 

The  buildings,  both  for  business  and  for  residence,  are  mainly  in 
the  various  modifications  and  varieties  of  the  Oueen  Anne  architecture, 

Architecture. 

pleasantly  diversified  and  adapted  to  the  purpose  of  each  edifice. 

Turning  now  to  the  less  obvious  features,  one  finds  still  more  to 
admire.  The  sewerage  and  surface  drainage  preceded  the  population, 
sewerage  and  being  established  at  the  same  time  when  the  dwellings  were  building. 
''The  surface  drainage  carries  the  rainfall  into  Lake  Calumet.  The 
sewerage  proper  is  a  separate  system,  connected  with  every  sink  and 
cesspool,  and  taking  the  entire  sewage  from  houses  and  shops.  (Each 
house  is  supplied  with  sanitary  plumbing,  and  there  are  no  out-of-door 
closets.)  The  sewage  is  conducted  below  the  surface  to  a  huge  tank 
beneath  the  water-tower,  whence  it  is  pumped  and  piped  (  1,800,000 
gallons  a  day)  to  the  "  Pullman  farm,"  three  miles  away  to  the  south- 
west, to  be  used  as  a  fertilizer.  The  sewage-tank  is  thoroughly  venti- 
lated through  pipes  debouching  above  the  top  of  the  water-tower,  and 
has,  besides,  a  connection  with  the  tall  chimney  of  the  boiler-house, 


PULLMAN. 


39* 


which  outlets,  combined,  produce  a  down-draught   in   all  the  neighbor- 
ing sewer  openings.     The  town  has  no  evil  odors. 

The  water  supply  (except  for  the  fire  service)  is  not  brought  from 
the  water-tower,  as  usually  imagined,  but  is  furnished  from  the  Chicago 
water  system,  which  sells  it    (by  metre  measurement)  to  the  Pullman  w««r  supply. 
Company,  and  the  latter  collects  water-rates    from  the    householders. 
The  town  has  about  fifteen  miles  of  water  mains. 

The  brick-kilns  are  supplied  with  good  clay  dredged  from  the  bot- 
tom of  the  lake,  which,  in  this  process,  is  being  gradually  deepened  for  Brick  K,in«  and 
commercial  use.     The  ice-houses  have  a  storage  capacity  for  25,000  tons. 

The   Pullman   farm  consists  of   140  acres,  thoroughly  piped  and 
underdrained    for    the  reception,    purification    and    utilization    of    the 


Ice  Houses. 


RAILWAY  STATION. 

Pullman  village  sewage.  Hydrants  are  placed  so  that  the  distribution 
can  be  conveniently  done.  All  organic  matter  in  the  sewage  is  taken 
up  by  the  soil  and  the  growing  vegetation,  and  the  water  (which  is,  of 
course,  by  far  the  greater  mass)  runs  off  through  the  underdrains  to 
the  ditches,  and  they  deliver  it,  pure  and  clear  as  spring-water,  into  thepuii 
Calumet  river.  In  winter  the  sewage  runs  upon  one  field  or  one  filter- 
bed,  and  then  on  another,  the  filtering  process  appearing  as  perfect  as 
in  summer.  Thus  are  the  waste  products  largely  transmuted  by  vital 
chemistry  into  luxurious  vegetable  forms.  The  most  profitable  crops  have 
been  found  to  be  onions,  cabbages,  potatoes  and  celery.  One  acre  takes 
care  of  the  sewage  of  one  hundred  of  the  population.  This  solution 
answers  one  of  the  problems  so  often  propounded  in  relation  to  the 


man 
Sewage  Farm. 


392 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Lesson  Regard- 


Growth  of  a 
Car. 


A  Train  a  day 
produced. 


sewage  of  Chicago,  namely:  "Why  not  utilize  it  for  fertilization?" 
At  one  acre  to  the  hundred  of  population,  it  would  need  twelve 
thousand  acres  to  dispose  of  the  sewage  of  Chicago  —  twenty  square 
miles  from  which  settlers  would  have  to  be  excluded.  At  some  future 
day,  when  lands  naturally  fertile  and  spontaneously  productive  shall 
have  grown  more  scarce  and  distant,  this  may  be  effected,  but  now  it  is 
a  manifest  impossibility.  Even  in  old  Europe,  where  there  are  at  least 
150  sewage  farms,  there  is  scarcely  one  which  pays  expenses  of  hand- 
ling, instead  of  the  large  profit  which  might  be  expected  from  a  free  gift 
of  unlimited  manure.  On  the  other  hand,  guano  is  brought  from  far 
away,  and  finds  ready  sale  at  all  times.  The  difference  seems  to  be  in 
the  impossibility  of  rotting  or  properly  "  composting  "  the  crude  elements 
of  the  sewage.  The  Pullman  farm  pays  a  reasonable  profit. 


THE   FIRE    DEPARTMENT    AXD   STABLES. 

The  growth  of  a  freight  car  in  the  works  is  a  most  interesting  pro- 
cess. The  wheeled  axles  roll  in  on  the  track,  and  from  that  moment  its 
course  (though  not  its  motion)  is  continuous,  through  process  after  pro- 
cess— timber,  lumber,  iron,  bolts,  nails,  screws,  plates,  springs,  chains, 
patent  appliances,  etc.,  and  finally  paints,  and  lubricating  oil  for  the  jour- 
nals— until  it  issues  gaily  forth  for  all  the  service,  the  hardships,  the 
vicissitudes  of  its  hundreds  of  thousands  of  miles  of  motion. 

Cars  equal  to  a  full  train  a  day  of  new-built  passenger  and  freight 
cars  leave  Pullman  to  carry,  to  feed,  to  warm,  to  shelter  the  people. 

One  of  the  main  beauties  of  the  town  is  a  negative  adornment  :  It 
has  no  drinking  shops,  no  gambling  houses  and  no  alms  house.  A 


PULLMAN. 


393 


cemetery  it  can  not  quite  dispense  with  ;  but  the  "  City  of  the  Dead  " 

is  of  slow  growth.     The  Pullman  "  death-rate  "  is  one  of  the  smallest 

in  the  world,  having  never  exceeded  eleven  per  thousand,  which  is  less  Health  of  the 

than  half  the  average  for  American  cities,  and  only  one  third  of  the 

world's  average,  while  the  birth-rate  has  run  as  high  as  forty-six  per 

thousand.     One  is  not  surprised  to  learn  this  after  looking  at  the  big 

crowd  of  little  folks  swarming  about  the  beautiful  public  school. 

The  absence  of  "  saloons,"  those  forcing-beds  of  depravity,  is  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  Company  has  not  parted  with  its  realty  ,  in  fact,  it 
was  chiefly  to  insure  this  that  it  resolved  on  that  policy.     Whenever  TemPw»n«- 
and  wherever  public  sentiment  is  up  to  it,  they  can  be  excluded  by 
popular  consent ;  but  in  this  case  the  promoters  preferred  to  take  no 


HOTEL  FLORENCE. 


chances  ;  and  "  prohibition  prohibits  !>  at  Pullman,  however  it  may 
struggle,  prevail,  triumph  and  fail  elsewhere.  At  the  same  time,  nobody 
is  prohibited  from  drinking.  In  fact,  just  outside  the  town  limits  there 
are  drinking  places  enough,  and  drinkers  patronizing  them  can,  if  they 
choose,  bring  into  the  town  itself  the  cup  which  inebriates  but  does  not 
cheer.  Therefore  drunkenness  is  not  unknown;  but  it  is  marked,  excep-, 
tional  and  disgraceful.  The  sight  of  it  under  these  conditions  is  not  so 
much  corrupting  as  warning.  It  serves  the  purpose  for  which  the 
Spartans  of  old  forced  their  slaves  to  become  drunken  ;  namely,  that 
their  young  might  look  on  drunkenness  and  be  disgusted.  At  any  rate, 
the  poison  is  not  paraded  and  disguised,  with  all  the  art  of  luxury  and 
light,  to  lead  youth  into  the  damning  error  that  spirituous  stimulation 
is  the  parent  of  joy  instead  of  the  solemn  truth  that  it  is  its  deadly, 


'ersonal 
liberty. 


394 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Free  public 
opinion. 


Religion. 


Aspect  of  the 
town. 


sneaking  assassin.  The  operatives  doubtless  know  which  of  them  are 
drinkers  and  which  are  not,  and  form  their  likes  and  dislikes  accordingly; 
but  the  management  leaves  it  all  to  them,  taking  no  cognizance  of  the 
matter.  Freedom  is  held  to  be  the  only  condition  for  a  healthy,  stable 
growth  of  morals,  manners,  intelligence  and  wealth. 

At  Pullman,  personal  liberty  of  thought  is  associated  with  that 
of  action.  Religion  is  not  assailed  and  dwarfed  by  patronage — certainly 
not  by  opposition.  There  are  eight  places  of  worship  in  town,  repre- 
senting as  many  shades  of  sectarian  belief.  Each  is  (of  course), 
entirely  sustained  by  the  voluntary  contributions  of  its  members.  The 
company  built,  at  the  outset,  a  beautiful  green-stone  church,  but  it  is 
rented  to  a  congregation  like  any  other  edifice  or  tenement 


esting 


LAKE  VISTA. 

Mr.  Duane  Doty,  of  Pullman,  is  the  inexhaustible  source  of  inter- 
information    concerning  the    enterprise   in  all  its  aspects.     He 
says  : 

The  portion  of  the  city  already  built  is  about  half  a  mile  in  width,  and  it  is  two  miles  from  the 
north  to  the  south  end  of  the  town.  The  successive  blocks  are  unlike,  giving  pleasing  changes  to 
the  views  along  any  street.  There  are  now  about  seven  miles  of  paved  streets,  and  twelve  miles  of 
sidewalks.  At  intervals  of  thirty  feet,  shade-trees  are  planted  along  both  sides  of  the  streets,  and 
on  the  main  streets  flowers  are  grown  around  the  trees.  Open  spaces  planted  with  shrubbery  and 
flowers  really  constitute  a  large  park,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  homes  of  the  people  stand.  The 
monumental  buildings  and  vast  shops  in  the  long  stretches  of  meadow,  walks  and  shrubbery,  empha. 
sizes  the  park  features  of  Pullman. 

There  is  one  style  of  flats  having  from  two  to  four  rooms  each,  which  rent  from  six  to  nine 
dollars  a  month.  Of  these  there  are  now  six  buildings,  each  containing  twelve  families,  one  build- 
ing containing  twenty-four  families,  two  containing  thirty-six  each,  and  one  containing  forty-eight 
families.  There  is  not  a  room  in  these  buildings  which  has  not  one  or  more  windows,  giving  resi- 
dents abundance  of  fresh  air  and  light.  These  flats  and  their  surroundings  are  kept  in  order  by  the 


PULLMAN. 


395 


company.  Blocks  14,  27  and  30  contain  about  300  flats,  each  apartment  containing  from  two  to  five 
good  rooms  and  its  proper  proportion  of  basement.  Still  another  style  of  fiats  is  seen  where  every 
family  has  a  separate  entrance,  and  is  accommodated  with  five  good  rooms  and  a  basement.  These 
flats  rent  from  $14  to  f  16  a  month.  There  is  now  a  tendency  in  cities  to  build  flats,  and  the 
advantages  in  them  are  usually  set  forth  about  as  follows  The  tenant  secures  a  home  fora  lower  rent, 
and  is  brought  nearer  his  place  of  work  and  business.  In  case  of  sickness  and  trouble  he  has  help  " 
close  at  hand  ;  the  common  hallway  is  lighted  and  the  whole  building  cared  for  by  a  janitor,  services 
which  can  not  be  rendered  in  single  houses.  By  accommodating  many  families  upon  a  small  tract 
of  land,  men  are  able  to  reduce  their  living  expenses  to  a  minimum,  while  all  have  the  advantages  of 
living  upon  improved  streets,  and  in  close  proximity  to  parks  and  gardens.  Of  course,  separate 
sinks,  water-taps  and  closets,  all  inside  the  houses,  are  provided  for  every  family. 

There  is  a  variety  of  single  houses  with  rents  ranging  all  the  way  from  $16  to  $50  a  month. 
These  houses  are  adapted  to  the  needs  of  men  receiving  from  $2  a  day  to  $5,000  a  year.  The  average 
rental  of  all  the  tenements  in  Pullman  is  only  $14  a  month. 

The  average  monthly  rental  per  room,  including  basements  used  as 


THE  ARCADE  BUILDING. 


kitchen  and  dining-room,  in  houses  occupied  wholly  by  operatives  is 
$2.50. 

The  population  of  Pullman  grew  between  1881  and  1885  from 
nothing  to  8,603.  The  census  of  1890  showed  10,680,  of  whom  5,223 
were  workmen;  the  latter  classified  as  to  nativity  as  follows:  Americans, 
l<73&  (33  Per  cent.);  Scandinavians,  1,137  (21.8  per  cent.);  Irish,  318 
(6.1  per  cent.);  Other  British,  685  (13.1  per  cent);  German  and  Diitch,Stpopuiat?on, 
1,177  (22-5  percent.);  Latin  races,  56  (i  percent.)  and  all  others  112. 

In  1891  the  total  population  is  1 1,000,  of  whom  6,083  are  workmen  ; 
the  latter  classified  as  to  nativity  as  follows:  Americans,  2,086  (34.3  per 
cent.);  Scandinavians,  1,375  (22-44  Per  cent.);  Irish,  315  (5.18  per 
cent.);  Other  British,  796(13.1  per  cent.);  German  and  Dutch,  1,348 
(22.15  Per  cent.);  Latin  races,  107  (1.76  per  cent.);  and  all  others,  56. 


396 


THE  STORY    OF  CHICAGO. 


Savings  in 
Bank. 


Spontaneous 
'good  order. 


The  labor 
troubles  of 
1886. 


It  is  not  improbable  that  these  percentages  would  hold  mainly 
good  throughout  the  manufacturing  population  of  Chicago. 

The  Pullman  Loan  and  Savings  Bank  is  the  local  financial  deposi- 
tory of  the  Company,  and  also  the  custodian  of  the  voluntary  hoards  of 
the  citizens.  Its  savings  deposits  in  1891  amount  to  $467,981.45,  in  the 
names  of  1,828  depositors.  The  average  sum  held  by  each  savings 
depositor  in  1884  was  $145.43.  In  1890  it  had  grown  to  $243.97,  and 
in  1891  is  $256.  By  purchases  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  885  of  the 
operatives  are  freeholders  in  their  own  right.  In  all,  2,297  live  outside 
the  town.  All  employed  are  free  to  live  where  they  please  —  but 
Pullman  town  is  always  full. 

No  reserve  or  "  hospital  money," or  "  insurance  fund"  is  exacted  by 
the  Company,  nor  are  any  store  accounts  collected  on  the  wages  pay-roll. 
(The  Company  is  not  interested  in  the  shops  except  as  landlord  of  the 
shopkeepers.)  The  only  deductions  from  the  earned  wages  are  rents 
due  by  those  who  occupy  Company  houses  or  fiats. 

Good  order  in  the  community  is  always  maintained,  without  interfering  with  the  freedom  of 
the  individual,  so  long  as  his  freedom  does  not  trespass  on  the  liberty  of  another.  There  has  never 
been  any  attempt  (by  the  founders)  to  set  up  any  religious  denomination  in  the  town.  There  was  a 
church  building  constructed  at  the  outset,  but  it  was  rented  to  a  society  which  represented  a  major- 
ity in  the  town.  Within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  green-stone  Presbyterian  church  is  a  new  building 
put  up  by  the  Catholics.  In  addition  to  this  the  Swedish  Lutheran  and  other  denominations  have 
rooms  where  services  are  held.  .  .  .  There  is  no  artificial  stimulus  anywhere.  There  are  no 
lectures  given  to  the  workmen.  Neither  politics  nor  religion  has  any  part  in  the  administration; 
that  is  left  to  the  individual.  Sunday  is  a  day  of  relaxation;  many  go  to  church;  many  go  to  the 
lake  shore  and  take  part  in  the  out-door  games.  .  .  .  The  town  gave  a  small  democratic  major- 
ity at  the  last  election.  The  men  know  that  they  are  perfectly  free  from  criticism  on  the  part  of  the 
management,  whatever  result  is  declared  at  the  polls. 

The  connection  of  the  Pullman  Company  with  the  so-called  "labor 
riots "  treated  in  the  last  preceding  chapter  was  short,"  but  full  of 
interest  for  the  moment,  and  suggestion  for  the  future.  Pullman 
industries  were  a  shining  mark,  and  the  elements  of  destruction  would 
score  a  brilliant  victory  if  they  could  lay  them  low.  Therefore,  the 
attack  was  expected,  and  it  came — from  the  outside,  of  course.  With 
a  shrewdness  worthy  of  them,  the  assailants  chose,  as  the  weakest  point 
in  the  industrial  citadel,  the  cabinet-shop,  which  was  largely  filled  with 
foreigners,  not  yet  imbued  with  the  "American  Idea." 

The  foreign  idea  of  irrepressible  conflict  between  laborand  capital, 
and  of  "Internationalism"  as  the  only  refuge  of  the  former  from  the 
oppression  of  the  latter,  these  men  had  either  brought  over  with  them 
or  readily  absorbed  from  the  plausible  talkers  sent  among  them.  The 
mass  of  other  workmen,  not  so  much  convinced  by  argument  as 
moved  by  brotherly  feeling,  consented  to  join  in  the  demand  for  an 
eight-hour  day  and  other  proposed  changes,  and  at  an  appointed  time 
a  committee  called  on  Mr.  Pullman  to  lay  that  demand  before  him. 


PULLMAN. 


397 


Arrival  of  the 
walking  dele- 
gate. 


WATCHMAN  AT  GATE. 


The  committee,  as  usual  in  such  cases,  was  chosen  mainly  from 
the  men  known  to  and  respected  by  their  employers ;   but  contained 

also  some  of  the  "walking  delegate" 
element;  men  who  had  entered  the 
employment  on  purpose  to  inter- 
fere with  it.  Mr.  Pullman,  recog- 
nizing easily  the  "outsiders,"  invited 
a  statement  of  their  position.  They 
had  free  scope  to  ask  what  they 
had  determined  on,  and  to  enforce 
the  demands  by  such  arguments 
they  thought  best.  When  they 
had  entirely  covered  the  ground  he 
said,  in  substance,  as  follows: 

That  it  was  evident  that  the 
advocates  had  come  with  the  delib- 
erate purpose  of  either  controlling 
the  works  or  stopping  them.  Con- 
trol them  they  could  not,  for  the 

Pullman  Company  was  satisfied  with  its  present  management,  and  was 
as  free  in  its  actions  as  were  its  employes  in  theirs.  Stop  them  they 
very  possibly  might,  and  what  then  ?  The  Company  could  live,  doing  its 
work  elsewhere,  or  not  doing  it  at  all,  but  how  about  the  wage-earners  ? 
The  Pullman  Company  was  paying  out  $10,000  a  day  in  wages  for 
work,  and  when  work  stopped  wages  must  stop.  The  shop-keepers  in  Mr  pulllian,. 
the  Arcade  would  look  pretty  blue  at  the  prospect  of  unpaid  accounts; 
even  the  saloon-keepers  down  at  Kensington  were  likely  to  feel  unhappy, 
and  though  these  delegates  might  be  far  away,  propagating  dissension 
elsewhere,  yet  the  mass  of  men,  hitherto  doing  well,  would  still  be  here, 
sitting  about  on  doorsteps  and  fences  and  doing  nothing,  and  unable 
to  explain  to  their  families  why  they  are  idle.  How  were  all  these  to  be 
satisfied?  Had  not  the  delegates  taken  a  pretty  big  contract?  Were 
they  sure  they  could  fill  it  ? 

The  sight  of  all  these  manufacturing  shops  standing  idle,  nothing 
moving  but  their  shadows  as  the  sun  advanced,  would  not  be  pleasant, 
but  he  could  stand  it  as  long  as  anybody.  He  had  not  the  slightest 
apprehension  concerning  their  safety,  for  he  knew  the  nature  of  the"' 
American  workman.  The  buildings  as  long  as  they  stood  idle  would 
take  care  of  themselves ;  there  were  no  policemen  here,  nor  were  any 
needed.  And  idle  they  must  stand  until  their  owners  and  their  oper- 
atives should  agree  to  start  them  ;  a  thing  which  neither  could  ever  do 
alone  or  on  compulsion,  or  otherwise  than  as  free  agents. 


reception  of 
the  committee 


lis  answer. 


39* 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


One  thing  more  he  had  to  say,  namely,  that  as  each  side  had 
had  its  hearing,  the  subject,  being  exhausted,  would  close  with  the 
Finality. of  the  end  of  this  interview,  and  no  other  would  be  held.  The  delegates 
would,  of  course,  be  expected  to  call  the  men  together  to  "  report 
progress;"  but  he  could  assure  them  there  could  be  no  progress  to 
report  as  far  as  the  Company  was  concerned. 

He  then  stopped  to  hear  further  from  the  committee,  and  they 
talked  for  some  time,  but,  as  he  had  nothing  to  add,  the}'  bid  him  good- 
afternoon  ;  and  immediately  upon  their  departure,  the  watchword  being 


I 


THE  MAIN  ADMINISTRATION'   BUILDING. 


The  strike  is  on 


given,  the  operatives  filed  out  of  their  shops  in  orderly  fashion,  and 
the  procession  began  its  parade.  "  The  strike  was  on."  The  men 
next  morning  sat  around  in  sun  and  shade,  listless  and  ill  at  ease, 
the  officials  giving  to  the  works  such  care  as  was  requisite  to  prevent 
injury  by  non-use — there  was  no  need  of  any  other  watchfulness.  So 
passed  the  idle  days — idle  yet  not  restful. 

One  day  certain  leading  Socialists  arrived  bent  on  an  interview.  Mr. 
Pullman,  sitting  working  in  his  office,  heard  the  confab  in  the  ante- 
room. The  agitators  asked  for  him  and  were  told  he  was  engaged.  The 
visitors  answered  that  they  had  business  with  Mr.  Pullman  and  wanted  to 
see  him,  and  that  at  once.  Their  card  was  brought  in,  and  Mr.  Pullman 
sent  word  back  that  he  was  quite  certain  he  had  no  business  with 
them  and  should  not  see  them,  whereupon  they  departed.  Looking 
from  the  window,  it  was  observed  that  the  esplanade  was  crowded 


PULLMAN. 


399 


with  workmen,  doubtless  gathered  to  see  the  result  of  the  issue  between 
the  great  leaders  of  disorder  and  the  great  leader  of  order.  The  latter 

knew  men — knew  these  men  espe- 
cially— and,  his  business  being  end- 
ed, alone  and  defenceless,  he  went 
out  (the  crowd  dividing  for  him 
without  a  sign  of  disfavor),  and 
walked  over  to  the  hotel  to  supper. 
The  next  development  was  a 
request  on  the  part  of  the  foundry- 
men,  a  very  large,  strong  and  re- 
spectable body,  that  they  be  allowed 
to  go  to  work ;  that  the  whistle 
should  blow  next  morning,  and  that 
they  would  take  care  of  themselves. 
That  night  a  great  meeting  was 
called.  Next  morning  the  first  man 
at  the  gate,  in  his  working-clothes, 
and  with  dinner-bucket  in  hand,  was 

DAUGHTERS  OF  PULLMAN  WORKWOMEN.  ^  c/lairman  Qf  tkat  meetingf     The 

great  Pullman  strike  was  ended.     It  had  lasted  two  weeks,  a  space  of 
time  well  invested  to  the  saving  of  time  in  the  future. 

To  the  superficial  view,  this 
must  seem  like  a  victory  for  capital 
over  labor,  for  the  few  over  the 
many.  Not  so.  It  was  a  victory 
for  the  many  order-lovers  over  the 
few  law-contemners.  George  Pull- 
man simply  took  his  natural  place 
as  a  leader  of  men ;  and  the  best 
men — of  course  a  majority  of  all- 
followed  his  lead,  maintained  their 
individual  liberty  to  work  such 
hours  as  they  chose  at  such  wages 
as  suited  them.  In  short,  they  re- 
asserted the  "American  Idea"  of 
free  competition,  in  opposition  to 
the  un-American  doctrine  of  en- 
forced combination  or  communism. 

That  this  happy  outcome  of  a  critical  epoch  was  in  no  proper  sense 
a  "  victory  "  for  one  or  a  "  defeat  "  for  another,  is  proven  by  the  fact 

*  This  great  engineer,  engaged  on  the  Pullman  works,  was  accidentally  killed  during  its  progress. 


Attempted  so- 
cialist inter, 
vention. 


Foundrymen 
come  forward. 


End  of  strike. 


400 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Piece-work  at 
Pullman. 


that  that  outcome  was  by  no  means  a  closing  of  discussion  between 
employer  and  employed  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  was  a  re-opening  of  it. 
The  work  at  Pullman  is  largely  (as  largely  as  possible)  piece-work,  that 
bite  noir  of  the  socialist  and  the  communist,  who  desires  to  put  all  men 
on  a  dead  level.  This  piece-work  depends  to  a  great  extent  on  arrange- 
ments, appliances,  proportionings  of  advantages  and  profits  ;  and  these 
are  the  themes  of  frequent  free  discussions  between  the  management  and 
the  operatives.  These  conferences  are  carried  on  in  a  friendly — not  servile 
— spirit,  and  sometimes  result  in  convincing  the  one  party,  sometimes 

the  other;  oftenest  in  a  com- 
promise of  conflicting  inter- 
ests and  claims.  What  will 
be  the  consequence  of  the 
next  great,  far-reaching  busi- 
ness depression  it  is  hard  to 
predict ;  but  it  is  not  too 
much  to  hope  that  Pullman 
will  fare  as  well  as  the  best, 
perhaps  better.  The  vast 
resources  of  the  Company 
enable  it  to  go  on  with  work 
through  "hard  times"  (even 
at  an  apparent  loss),  in  which 
case  its  reserve  capital  acts 
as  a  balance-wheel,  an  "  in- 
surance fund  for  the  perpet- 


THE   SCHOOI 


uation  of  wages." 


This  chapter  of  history  is  "fors  clavigera, "  as  Mr.  Ruskin  says; 
"  perhaps  a  key-bearer."  Before  the  civilized  world  a  great  vault  seems 
Pbelaarer*ke>~  to  stanc^ !  a  vault  with  a  locked  door,  a  stronghold  containing  prosperity 
and  peace  and  other  blessings  which  all  desire  and  few  possess. 
Shall  the  stronghold  remain  locked  ?  It  can  not.  Shall  it  be  taken  by 
assault  ?  That  would  destroy  its  contents  as  by  fire.  Shall  it  be  opened  ? 
If  yes,  then  where  is  the  key?  Is  it  nowhere,  or  is  it  now  here? 

The  historian  is  not  the  prophet,  but  it  may  be  said  without  undue 
presumption  that  if — {/"the  path  in  front  of  Pullman  proves  as  fair  to  the 
:  foot  as  its  vista  appears  to  the  eye,  then  the  enterprise  sounds  the  key- 
note for  the  full  and  final  chorus  of  concord  between  labor  and  capital. 
In  that  case  its  founder  has,  single-handed,  built  the  enduring  monu- 
ment of  the  passing XlXth  century;  a  pyramid,  the  broad,  deep  ground- 
course  whereof  is  human  nature,  while  its  sun-lit  cap-stone  is  peace. 


is  peace. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  THRIFTY  EIGHTIES. 

OTHING  teaches  more  effectually  the 
vastness  of  "a  million,"  so  easy  to  write, 
to  speak  of  and  to  treat  as  a  unit,  than 
the  effort  to  summarize  the  doings  and 
sayings,  haps  and  mishaps  of  a  city  as  it 
nears,  reaches  and  passes  the  million- 
mark.  Whichever  way  one  turns,  the 
vista  stretches  to  an  infinite  and  invisible 
horizon.  Each  subject  touched  seems  to 
call  for  a  volume.  Individual  men,  who, 
while  the  city  was  young  and  small,  would 
have  loomed  up  into  heroic  proportions 
and  called  for  corresponding  attention, 
must  be  ignored  or  treated,  not  as  inter- 
esting  individuals,  but  as  types,  imper. 
sonal  and  therefore  shorn  of  attractive  characteristics.  Events,  incidents 
and  accidents  are  swamped  by  their  own  number,  and  dwarfed  into 

.        .         .  ~  T  i          r          •  •         1  *1  •  Vastness  of  the 

insignificance.  In  the  forties  a  single  railway  train  a  day  ran  slowly  """"on. 
out  a  few  miles  and  came  slowly  back  when  it  was  convenient;  in  the 
eighties  hundreds  of  trains  each  day  rush  thundering  out  and  in;  and 
more  wayfarers  are  accidentally  killed — all  unnoticed,  save  by  those  per- 
sonally concerned — than  the  entire  death-list  of  fifty  years  ago.  Then 
a  church  festival  was  a  notable  event,  making  a  stir  proportional  to 
that  now  created  by  a  presidential  convention.  In  the  thirties  the  mark 
for  a  rich  man  was  the  possession  of  $10,000;  and  the  entire  annual  Then  and  now. 
transactions  did  not  usually  reach  a  million  dollars  ;  now  the  fortune 
of  a  single  merchant  is  rated  at  $30,000,000,  and  the  business  of  a  single 
packer  at  $1,000,000  a  week.  In  1833  one  farm  wagon  coming  in  from 
the  "  Wabash  region"  with  butter,  eggs,  apples,  honey  and  poultry, 
would  draw  about  it  half  the  housekeepers  in  town.  Now,  on  the 
Board  of  Trade,  the  daily  transactions  in  food-products  often  reach  a 
magnitude  which  would  relieve  the  Russian  famine.  A  single  bank  now 
handles,  out  and  in,  $10,000,000  a  day. 

Chicago  in  1891   embraces  the  Southern  end  of   Lake  Michigan  Chicago  in  1891. 
(the  head  of  the  lake)  and  extends  northward  along  its  west  bank  some 


401 


4O2 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO 


Her  relative 
position. 


fifteen  miles.  Her  nearest  seaports  on  the  Atlantic  are  Boston,  1,150 
miles  east  by  north  ;  New  York,  91 1  miles  east ;  Philadelphia,  822  miles 
nearly  east ;  and  Baltimore,  850  miles  east  by  south.  Her  nearest  ports 
on  the  Pacific  are  Vancouver,  2,350  miles  north-westward  ;  Portland, 
2, 450  miles  west  by  north;  and  San  Francisco,  2,450  mileswest  by  south. 


BRONZE  STATUE  OF  I.INN/F.rS  IX  LINCOLN'  PARK.    (Gift  of  Scandinavian  citizens.) 


New  Orleans,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  is  920  miles  south.  The  centre 
of  population  in  the  Union  is  about  200  miles  south  of  Chicago  and  a 
little  to  the  eastward,  but  moving  slightly  north  of  west  at  every  census. 
Therefore  Chicago  is  very  much  nearer  the  centre  of  population  than 
any  other  great  city.  This  fact  was  duly  considered  in  connection  with 
the  choice  of  place  for  the  Columbian  Exposition,  together  with  the 


THE  THRIFTY  EIGHTIES.  403 

further  fact  that  of  all  visitors  to  the  Fair,  ninety-nine  in  the  hundred 
will  be  Americans. 

In  his  "World's  Fairs,  Past  and  Future,"  the  late  Colonel  other  world* 
Charles  B.  Norton  (a  veteran  of  the  Union  war)  whose  lamented 
death  occurred  in  Chicago  in  1891,  while  engaged  in  indefatigable 
labors  for  the  Columbian  Exposition,  gives  the  following  table  of 
nationalities  forming  the  population  of  Chicago  in  1890,  with  his 
remarks  thereon  : 


Kairs. 


American 292  463 

German 384,958 


Irish. 


215,53-1 

Bohemian 54,209 

Polish 52,756 

Swedish...., 45,877 

Norwegian  44,615 

English 33,785 

French 1 2,963 

Scotch   1 1.927 

Welsh.... 2,966 

Russian 9  977 

Danes 9  891 

Italians 9,921 


Hollanders 4  912 

Hungarians 4.827 


Swiss. 
R 


2  735 


oumanians 4  35O 

Canadians 6989 

Belgians 682 

Greeks 698 

Spanish 297 

Portugese 34 

East  Indians    28 

West  Indians   37 

Sandwich  Islands 31 

Mongolians 1,217 

1,208,679 


Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are  few  nations  in  the  world  that  are  not  represented  in 
Chicago,  and  certain  sections  of  this  great  city  are  almost  entirely  given  up  to  special  nationalities, 
so  that  in  1893  every  foreigner  will  be  sure  to  receive  a  hearty  welcome  in  his  own  language.  One 
would  suppose  that  in  so  large  a  body  of  representatives  of  all  nations  that  there  would  be  an  increased 
mortality,  but,  as  indicated  below,  Chicago  is  an  exceptionally  healthy  city,  comparing  most 
favorably  with  the  three  cities  in  Europe  'n  which  Worlds'  Fairs  have  been  held.  The  annual 
mortality  per  1,000  is  : 

London 21.92  '  New  York t 26.27 

Paris 27.02      Boston 25.18 

Vienna 2719      Philadelphia 21.19 

Chicago 17.49  :   Brooklyn 22.05  i 

The  number  of  births  for  the  year  1889  was  20,995,  and  the  number  of  marriages  for  the 
same  period,  12,500. 

The  population  of  the  city  since  the  fire  has  grown  by  the  follow- 
ing striking  steps:  In  1872,  367,396;  in  1874,  395,408;  in  1876,  407,66  i:Grc>wthofC1)i_ 
in  1878,  436,731  ;  in  1880,  503,298  ;  in  1882,  560,693  ;  in  1884,  629,985  ;   KE" 
in  1886,  825,880  ;  in  1887,  850,000  ;  in  1888,  875,000  ;  in  1889,  900,000, 
and  in  1890,  1,208,669,  of  which  200,000  are  due  to  the  annexation  of 
the  great  suburbs  which  now  form  part  of  the  city. 

The  public  schools,  absolutely  free  to  every  child  without  regard 
to  race,  color  or  nationality,  number  286,  the  teachers  2,920  and  the 
pupils  1 19,602,  to  which  should  be  added  341  private  schools,  attended 
bv  65,000  pupils.  The  number  of  adults  in  Chicago  who  can  neither 
read  nor  write  is  2,635. 

The  growth  of  the  city,  at  this  present  writing  (close  of  1891) 
is  estimated  at  100,000  a  year.  Does  anyone,  without  having  his 
.attention  specially  called  to  it,  appreciate  what  this  means?  There  are 


404 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Present  growth 
and  what  it 
means. 


Demand  again 
overtakes  sup- 
ply. 


Good-bye    to 
Gurdon  Hub- 
bard. 


2,000  additional  souls  and  bodies  a  week  to  care  for,  to  house,  to  feed, 
to  clothe,  to  warm,  to  govern  and  protect,  to  transport,  to  provide  with 
mail  and  banking  facilities,  medical  attendance,  legal  advice,  news, 
instruction  and  amusement.  In  short,  one  large  town  of  2,000  inhabit- 
ants must  be  built  and  equipped  within  Chicago  city  limits  between 
every  Monday  morning  and  its  following  Saturday  night. 

The  industry  and  devotion  of  business  men  are  inconceivable  and 
the  rush  and  crush  of  traffic  unparalleled.  Once  more  the  car  of 
progress  is  overtaking  the  moving  mass  of  humanity,  and  once  more 
must  every  facility  for  existence  be  enlarged.  The  intramural  travel 

is  beyond  the  means  of  car- 
rying it  on,  and  its  avenues 
are  almost  hopelessly  con- 
gested. Two  great  elevated 
railroads  are  approaching 
completion — and  none  too 
soon.  A  third,  the  elevated 
terminal,  is  projected,  more 
far-reaching  in  its  scope  than 
any  existing  in  any  city, 
and  even  that  is  not  likely 
to  over-top  the  demand.  A 
moving  sidewalk,  of  very 
great  carrying  capacity 
(four  times  that  of  any 
railway),  is  in  the  experi- 
mental stage,  with  fine  pros- 
pects of  success. 

The  events  of  most 
painful  public  interest  in 
the  decade  of  the  "eighties" 
— the  anarchist  riots,  trial  and  punishment — have  already  been  detailed. 
An  occurrence  of  private  loss  and  regret  was  the  death,  in  1886,  of 
Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  our  pioneer  hero,  venerated  patriarch,  beloved 
friend.  His  losses  by  the  fire  and  other  adverse  fatalities  were  never 
repaired ;  and  worst  of  all,  his  health  gave  way,  his  eyesight  failed, 
and  when  too  late  his  old  friends  awoke  to  the  consciousness  that 
they  had  not  made  the  utmost  possible  of  his  declining  years,  either 
for  his  sake  or  their  own. 

Now  to  turn  to  some  of  the  inestimable  blessings  the  past  decade 
has  brought  ;  its  charitable  and  benevolent  bequests  and  gifts. 


LAST  PORTRAIT  OF  GURDON  S.  HUBBARD. 


THE    THRIFTY  EIGHTIES. 


405 


As  controlled  by  Government  surveys,  the  land  next  north  of  the 
main  river  was  taken  and  held  in  three  eighty-acre  subdivisions  ;  each 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Chicago  Avenue  and  on  the  south  by  Kinzie 
Street,  which  streets  are  half  a  mile  apart.  (A  Government  "  eighty  " 
is  always  half  a  mile  long  -by  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide.)  The  eastern 
tract  (Kinzie's  addition)  extends  from  the  Lake  to  State  Street  ;  the 
next  (Wolcott's  addition)  from  State  to  LaSalle  ;  the  next  (Newberry  's 
addition)  from  LaSalle  to 
Market  Street.  Kin^s- 

O 

bury's  addition,  broken  by 
the  North  Branch  of  the 
river,  lies  west  of  New- 
berry's.  Each  of  these  was 
bought  from  the  Govern- 
ment at  $1.25  an  acre.  The 
Kinzies  and  Wolcotts  sold 
theirs  early  at  what  seemed 
a  fine  profit,  but  Walter  L. 
Newberry  held  on  to  his  till 
it  became  an  enormous  for- 
tune. 

Mr.  Newberry  came  to 
Chicago  in  1833  (it  is 
believed),  and  his  name  is 
one  constantly  recurring  in 
its  annals  from  that  time 
until  his  death,  in  1868; 
while  his  memory  must 
endure  for  countless  years 
to  come.  From  Andreas 
we  learn  that  he  offered 
"valuable  lots  for  sale"  in 
the  "land  boom"  of  1835-6. 
In  the  latter  year  he  was  one 
of  the  petitioners  for  a  city  charter.  1840  was  the  year  of  the  great 
bridge  contest,  when  the  South  and  West  Sides  tried  to  prevent  the  North  w 
from  having  any  bridge  across  the  river.  The  contest  was  close  and 
(it  is  said)  in  the  nick  of  time,  Messrs  Ogden  and  Newberry,  advocates 
of  the  bridge,  gave  to  the  Catholic  Church  the  lots  it  still  owns  on  the 
corner  of  State  Street  and  Chicago  Avenue  —  and  the  bridge  was  voted. 
(The  anti-bridge  men  sneeringly  "  put  this  and  that  together,"  but  later 
all  agreed  that  the  bridge  ought  to  have  been  built,  by  all  means.) 


W.  L.  NEWRKRRY. 


aiter 


406 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


In  1841  Mr.  Newberry  was  President  of  the  "Young  Men's  Asso- 
ciation," which  may  be  considered  as  the  pioneer  of  Chicago's  great 
Public  Library — a  foretaste  of  the  greater  service  he  was  to  render  in  the 
same  direction  in  the  magnificent  endowment  of  the  Newberry  Library. 
In  1843  he  served  on  the  Board  of  Health;  and  he  and  William  B. 
Ogden  joined  in  the  gift  of  a  lot  on  the  corner  of  Ohio  and  LaSalle 
Streets  for  the  Lutheran  Church,  which  still  (1891)  occupies  that  place. 

In  1846  he  took  part  in  the 
convention  assembled  in  the 
interest  of  Common  Schools. 
In  1847  he  was  a  director  in 
the  pioneer  railway,  the  Chi- 
cago and  Galena.  In  1848 
he  sold,  for  public  school 
purposes,  85  feet  frontage 
on  Ohio  Street  for  $1,050— 
a  little  over  $12.25  a  front 
foot.  This  seems  cheap 
enough,  yet  also  dear 
enough,  considering  that 
each  front  foot  brought  ten 
times  as  much  as  each  acre 
had  cost  only  fifteen  years 
before. 

In  1851  Mr.  Newberry 
was  City  Comptroller  and 
for  a  time  acting  Mayor. 
In  1857  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  "Mer- 
chants' Loan  and  Trust 
Company,"  the  only  bank- 
ing institution  which,  in 
1891,  dates  back  to  ante- 
war  times.  From  1859  to 

His  public  acts.  1863  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  in  the  latter 
year  President  of  the  Board.  In  1862  he  gave  $1,000  to  serve  as  a 
permanent  fund  for  providing  books  for  indigent  scholars  in  the  New- 
berry  School.  In  1863  he  helped  the  Sanitary  Fair  by  lending  works 
of  art  to  the  exhibition  held  in  its  aid.  In  1864  he  gave  to  the  Charita- 
ble Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary  the  use  of  a  lot  in  East  Pearson  Street.  In 
1857  he  became  a  member  of  the  Historical  Society,  and  its  president 
in  1863,  and  remained  its  friend  and  benefactor  up  to  his  death  in  1868. 


MARY   LOUISA  NEWBERRV. 


THE    THRIFTY  EIGHTIES. 


407 


Mr.  Newberry  possessed  much  public  spirit,  as  his  numerous  public 
services  attest.  His  gifts  of  money  were  doubtless  very  far  greater  than 
are  now  known  or  can  be  known.  At  the  same  time  he  was  a  man  of 
exceeding  thrift  in  money  matters,  a  characteristic  which  grew  upon  him 
with  years.  As  age  and  illness  impaired  his  faculties  this  tendency  grew 
to  a  mania,  and  he  was  possessed  with  an  unreasoning  terror  of  coming  to 
want.  During  his  last  illness  (consumption)  he  consulted  his  physician 
as  to  the  probable  duration 
of  his  life,  and  learned  that 
even  with  all  possible  care  it 
might  not  last  six  weeks. 
Thereupon  he  proceeded  to 
settle  his  earthly  affairs  and 
make  ready  for  a  voyage  to 
Europe,  where  his  wife  and 
daughters  were  living.  He 
had  a  faithful  nurse  whom 
he  was  urged  by  his  most 
intimate  friend,  Judge  Skin- 
ner, to  take  with  him,  but 
his  only  reply  was  "  I  can 
not  afford  it."  The  attend- 
ant did  go  with  him  as  far  as 
New  York,  only  to  be  there 
dismissed;  and  the  unhappy 
millionaire  died  alone  in  his 
state-room  during  the  pas- 
sage outward. 

This  trait  interfered  with 
the  personal  affection  which 
his  other  and  more  impor- 
tant characteristics  should 
have  inspired.  On  the  other 
hand,  this  very  quality  of 
acquisitiveness  became,  through  the  happening  of  unforeseen  events, 
the  cause  of  a  blessing  of  almost  infinite  value  to  the  city  which 
had  made  the  immense  fortune  wherefrom  he  drew  so  little  happi- 
ness. It  was  through  the  inspiring  suggestion  of  that  good 
man,  Mark  Skinner,  coming  opportunely  to  aid  Mr.  Newberry's  own 
philanthropy,  that  this  grand  result  was  made  possible,  and,  as  events 
turned  out,  actual  and  certain.  Mr.  Newberry  called  upon  Judge 
Skinner  to  draw  his  will,  and  the  latter,  under  instructions,  devised  and 


Personal  char- 
acteristics. 


JULIA    ROSA    NEWBERRY. 


408 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


bequeathed  everything  in  trust  for  the  benefit  of  Mr.  Newberry's  wife 
and  daughters,  during  their  lives,  with  remainder  over  to  their  heirs. 
Judge  Skinner  then  observed  that  there  might  be  no  direct  heirs  and 
suggested  a  library  as  the  alternative  inheritor.  Mr.  Newberry  thought 
the  contingency  most  improbable,  but  co-incided  with  Judge  Skinner's 
suggestions  for  providing  for  it,  and  added  the  clauses  under  which 
Chicago  is  receiving  and  is  to  receive  the  grandest  endowment  ever 
made  for  such  a  purpose  in  America,  a  benefaction  which,  by  present 
appearances,  may  reach  to  $4,000,000. 

Judge  Skinner,  in  his  position  of  friend  and  legal  adviser,  suggested 
other  possible  bequests  which  should  take  effect,  even  if  the  great  gift 
should  never  fall  in  to  the  benefit  of  Chicago,  suggesting  the  Historical 

Society;  but  Mr.  Newberry  said  all 
must  remain  as  it  stood;  adding,  as 
if  with  a  new  thought  at  variance 
with  his  former  idea  :  "  I  feel  in  my 
heart  a  prophecy  that  my  property 
will  never  reach  my  descendants. 
It  will  go  to  the  city." 

The  pregnant  clause  in  his  will 
reads  as  follows  : 


In  case  of  the  death  of  both  of  my  said  daugh- 
ters without  leaving  lawful  issue,  then  immedi- 
ately after  the  decease  of  my  wife,  if  she  survives 
my  said  daughters,  my  said  trustees  shall  divide 
my  estate  into  two  equal  shares,  my  said 
trustees  being  the  sole  judges  of  the  equality 
and  correctness  of  such  division,  and  shall  at 
once  proceed  to  distribute  one  of  such  shares 
among  the  lawful  surviving  descendants  of  my 
own  brothers  and  sisters,  such  descendants 
taking  per  stirpes  and  not  per  capita. 

The  other  share  of  my  estate  shall  be  applied 
by  my  said  trustees,  as  soon  as  the  same  can  con- 
veniently be  done,  to  the  founding  of  a  free  public  library,  to  be   located  in  that  part  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  now  known  as  the  "North  Division."     And  I  do  hereby  authorize  and  empower  my  said 
Mr  Newbcrry.s  trustees  to  establish  such  library  on  such  foundation,  under  such  rules  and  regulations  for  the  gov- 
"'"•  ernment  thereof,  appropriate  such  portion  of  the  property  set  apart  for  such  library  to  the  erection  of 

proper  buildings  and  furnishing  the  same,  and  such  portion  to  the  purchase  and  procurement  of 
books,  maps,  charts  and  all  other  articles  and  things  as  they  may  deem  proper  and  appropriate  for  a 
library,  and  such  other  portion  to  constitute  a  permanent  fund,  the  income  of  which  shall  be  appli- 
cable to  the  purpose  of  extending  and  increasing  such  library,  as  they  may  judge  fit  and  best,  having 
in  view  the  growth,  preservation,  permanence  and  general  usefulness  of  such  library. 

Mr.  Newberry  had  planned  to  make  Judge  Skinner  his  executor  and 
trustee;  and,  though  the  latter  objected  strenuously,  for  professioual 
and  personal  reasons,  his  objections  were  overborne  by  Mr.  Newberry's 
judge  swnner.  appeaj^  based  on  inability,  in  his  failing  health  and  strength,  to  take 
care  of  the  matter.  Even  then  it  is  unlikely  that  Judge  Skinner  would 
have  consented,  but  for  the  possible  public  service  which  might  result 


THE  THRIFTY  EIGHTIES. 


409 


from  his  doing  so.  He  joined  with  him  in  the  trust  Eliphalet  W.  Blatch- 
ford,  and  later,  compelled  by  his  own  declining  strength,  left  the  charge 
to  the  trustworthy  hands  of  Mr.  Blatchfordand  Mr.  William  H.  Bradley. 
The  daughters  died  unmarried  ;  Mary  Louisa,  February  14,  1874, 
at  Pan,  France;  and  Julia  Rosa,  April  4,  1876,  at  Rome,  Italy.  Mrs. 
Newberry  died  at  Paris,  December  9,  1885.  The  nine  years  interven- 
ing between  the  end  of  any  possibility  of  direct  descendants  and  the 
close  of  Mrs.  Newberry's  life  were  troubled  by  much  discussion  and ' 
some  litigation.  The  descendants  of  Mr.  Newberry's  brothers  and  sis- 
ters naturally  sought  for  a  division  which  should  enable  them  to  begin 


itigation. 


WILLIAM    H.  BRADLEY. 


WILLIAM  F.  POOLK,  LL.  D. 


the  enjoyment  of  their  portions;  and  they  brought  suit,  which  the  trus- 
tees were  compelled,  for  their  own  protection,  to  defend,  willing  as  they 
would  have  been  to  begin  administering  the  library  bequest  should  the 
courts  so  decide.  The  decision  was  against  the  claimants  and  favorable 
to  a  strict  and  literal  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  the  will. 

The  daughters  left  all  their  property  to  their  mother,  and  the  latter, 
at  her  death,  bequeathed  her  large  accumulations  to  her  own  relatives 
at  the  East. 

At  the  settlement  of  the  estate  in  1886  the  inventory  and  appraise- 
ment amounted  to  $4,298,403,  of  which  the  moiety  reserved  to  the 
library  was  $2,149,201.  The  trustees  wisely  chose  for  custodian  William 
F.  Poole,  Esq.,  L.L.  D.,  then  librarian  of  Chicago  Public  Library  (a 
life-long  librarian  and,  perhaps,  the  most  distinguished  in  America,  if 
not  in  the  world),  and  the  buying  of  books  began.  A  depository  was 


410 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Location  of 
permanent 
library. 


established  in  Ontario  Street,  adjoining  the  open  square  which  had  been 
Mr.  Newberry'shome  in  his  lifetime  and  had  been  vacant  since  the  great 
fire.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the  persons  most  interested  thought 
that  this  fine  square  would  have  been  the  best  and  most  appropriate 
place  for  a  "Scholar's  Library"  (the  founder's  plan  does  not  include  the 
lending  of  books),  but  the  trustees  decided  against  it,  and  bought  the 
"  Mahlon  Ogden  lot,"  fronting  on  Washington  Square,  Clark  Street, 
Oak  Street  and  Dearborn  Avenue,  where  a  great  building  is  planned 
and  begun,  the  library,  meanwhile,  occupying  a  temporary  structure 
built  for  the  purpose  at  the  corner  of  Oak  and  State  Streets. 

The  lot  selected  is,  in  its  way,  memorable.     For  many  years  before 
the  fire,  as  the  residence  of  Mahlon  D.  Ogden,  the  house  on  it  was  one 

of  the  handsomest  dwellings  in  the 

F  n    city,  the  home  of  elegance  and  of 

boundless  hospitality.  Later,  when 
the  Fire  swept  the  North  Side,  this 
house  had  the  distinction  of  being 
the  only  structure  spared  in  its 
course.  It  had,  to  the  windward  of 
it,  first,  Washington  Square,  and 
beyond  the  square  the  large  tree- 
covered  lot  of  Mr.  McCagg,  with 
only  one  house  and  barn  to  carry 
forward  the  conflagration.*  Then, 
too,  there  was  a  zealous  and  sys- 
tematic defense,  headed  by  General 
Wm.  E.  Strong  (Mr.  Ogden's  son- 
in-law),  who,  after  being  driven 
from  his  own  home,  found  refuge 
there,  and  by  the  help  of  other 
refugees  actually  preserved  the 
place  entire.  As  the  homestead  ante-dated  the  water  system,  there  were 
in  the  grounds  wells,  cisterns  and  tanks  which  contained  a  little  of  the 
precious  fluid,  and  these  sufficed  to  wet  carpets  spread  on  the  roof  and  other 
cloths  covering  the  window  frames,  so  that  the  fiery  hail  assailed  it  in 
vain.  But  alas!  the  desolation  about  it  for  miles  on  every  side  made  it 
nearly  intolerable  as  a  residence,  and  after  lying  idle  for  years  it  was 
leased  to  the  Union  Club,  and  later  was  left  tenantless  until  the  lot  was 
taken  for  the  Library,  when  the  old  landmark  (in  1890)  was  pulled 
down. 


JOHN  MOSES  (Custodian  of  the  Historical  Society). 


*  Curiously  enough,  the  great  green-house,  adjoining  Mr.  McCagg's  beautiful  home,  lived  through  the  fire,  and 
was  a  marked  object  neit  day,  standing  fresh  aid  fair,  with  scarcely  a  pane  of  glass  broken. 


THE    THRIFTY    EIGHTIES. 
To  quote  from  an  address  by  Dr.  Poole  : 


411 


The  largest  legacy  made  (or  a  public  library  in  this  country  has  recently  fallen  to  the  benefit 
of  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  by  the  death  of  Miss  Julia  Newberry,  last  surviving  daughter  of  the  late 
Walter  F.  Newberry,  of  Chicago.  She  died  at  Rome,  Italy,  April  4,  1876.  The  value  of  the  Newberry 
estate  is  now  estimated  by  the  trustees  at  $4,000,000.  One-half  of  the  estate  is  to  descend  to  the 
heirs  of  the  testator's  brothers  and  sisters,  and  the  other  half  is  to  be  devoted  to  the  foundation  and 
support  of  a  free  public  library,  to  be  situated  in  the  North  Division  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Newberry 
died  on  the  6th  of  November,  1868,  leaving  his  whole  estate  to  Mark  Skinner  and  E.  W.  Blatchford  as 
executors  and  trustees,  with  full  powers  to  administer  the  same  and  to  appoint  their  successors. 

After  providing  for  the  widow,  his  two  unmarried  daughters  and  other  relatives,  his  executors 
were  required  to  pay  to  his  daughters,  or  to  the  survivors  of  them,  annually  the  net  income  of  the 
estate.  After  the  death  of  the  daughters,  if  they  married  and  had  issue,  the  estate  was  to  be  divided 
among  such  issue.  • 

Mr.  Newberry,  formerly  a  resident  of  Detroit,  came  to  the  city  when  it  had  less  than  ro.ooo 
inhabitants.  He  brought  with  him  money  which  he  judiciously  invested  in  land,  which  has 
increased  enormously  in  value. 

His  business  habits  were  singularly  exact  and  methodical.  He  never  contracted  debts  or 
allowed  incumbrance  on  his  property.  To  the  attorney  who  drew  up  his  will  he  stated  the  estimate 
he  had  made  that  one-half  of  his  estate  would  go  to  the  founding  of  a  library  eventually. 

For  several  years  before  his  death  he  was  president  of  the  Historical  Society,  and  took  great 
interest  in  the  institution.  It  was  a  surprise  to  the  society  that  it  received  no  legacy  in  his  will. 


Dr.  Poole's 
remarks. 


NEWBERRY  LIBRARY  BUILDING,   (Under  construction  January  ist,  1892.) 

The  plans  for  the  Newberry  library  building  have  been  prepared  Tnc  bu,iding 
with  the  most  anxious  and  painstaking  care,  and  the  lower  stories  of  the 
first  building  are  even  yet  (1891)  only  fairly  begun.  The  building  will 
be  300  feet  long  and  60  feet  deep;  and  all  the  resources  of  art,  science 
and  experience  will  be  exhausted  to  make'  it  absolutely  perfect  as  to 
safety,  light,  air,  convenience  and  beauty.  It  is  planned  with  a  view  to 
adding  other  buildings  as  they  may  be  required.  The  librarian's  latest 
report  gives  the  whole  number  of  books  on  January  i,  1891,  as  60,614, 
and  of  pamphlets,  23,958.  The  average  attendance  has  risen  to  about 
forty  a  day,  even  in  the  present  temporary,  inconspicuous  and  incomplete 
quarters. 


412 


THE  STORY    OF  CHICAGO. 


The  death  (in  1890)  of  John  Crerar  is  the  latest  of  the  bereavements 
whereby  Chicago,  while  gaining  a  vast  benevolence,  loses  the  presence 
of  a  good  and  worthy  citizen  and  a  much-beloved  man.  He  was  of  Scotch 
descent,  born  in  New  York  in  1827,  where  he  was  at  one  time  president 
of  the  great  Mercantile  Library  Association.  He  came  to  Chicago  in 

1862  as  a   member  of  the 
railway-supply  firm    of  Jes- 
sup,   Kennedy  &   Co.,  later 
merged  in  the  great  house 
of  Crerar,  Adams  &  Co.    In 

1863  he  became  a  director  in 
the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
way.    He  was  one   of  the 
original  incorporators  of  the 
Pullman    Palace  Car   Com- 
pany and  always  a  director. 
In    1883  he  is  named  as  a 
director  in  the  Liverpool  & 
London  &  Globe  Insurance 
Company.*     He  was  one  of 
the    original    and    constant 
stockholders  of  the  Illinois 
Trust    and    Savings    bank ; 
and  in  1877,  when  the  State, 
the    Fidelity,    the    Beehive 
and      the      German      went 
down,    the      Illinois,      then 
newly   organized,  paid    out 
"a  cold  million"  as  fast  as 
it  was  demanded  and  came 
forth    with    its   credit   only 


JOHN  CRERAR. 


burnished 
hard 


its 
by    the 


terribly 


rubbing. 


A    few    of    his 

business  con- 
nections. 


These  are  but  a  few  of  Mr.  Crerar's  business  connections,  which 
were  vast  and  varied.  And  when  one  turns  to  his  charitable  works,  he 
finds  them  to  be  beyond  count.  In  innumerable  cases  they  were  known 
at  the  time  to  no  one  on  earth  except  the  giver  and  the  receiver. 
Among  those  recorded  are  gifts  to  the  Relief  and  Aid,  the  Historical 
Society,  the  Presbyterian  Hospital,  the  Chicago  Orphan  Asylum,  and 

'  The  "  Liverpool  and  London  and  Globe  •'  telegraphed  from  its  main  office,  two  days  after  the  fire,  "  Draw  at  sight 
and  subscribe,  for  the  benefit  of  sufferers,  ten  thousand  dollars : "  and  it  paid,  in  settlement  of  Great  Fire  losses^ 
$3,270,000.  Only  the  "./Etna,"  of  Hartford  ($3,700,000),  exceeded  this  stupendous  outpouring;  and  only  one  other, 
the  "Home,"  of  New  York,  reached  $3,000,000. 


THE    THRIFTY  EIGHTIES. 


4'3 


the  Chicago  Manual  Training  School ;  and  the  Musical  Festivals  of 
1882-84.  He  was  a  Vice-president  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Commercial  Club, 
and  a  very  long  time  member  of  the  Literary.  In  the  First  Presbyte- 
rian Church  Mr.  Crerar  was  an  elder,  a  constant  attendant,  and  an 
unfailing,  liberal  supporter  of  "  every  good  word  and  work."  In  1871 
he  was  one  of  the  Vice-presidents  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation. 

But  Mr.  Crerar's  largest — perhaps  not  most  precious — services  to 
Chicago  and  to  humanity  were  to  come  out  after  his  death.  His  will, 
made  in  1886,  appoints  Huntington  W.  Jackson  and  Norman  Williams 
his  executors  and  trustees ;  and, 
after  a  great  number  of  special 
gifts  to  relatives  and  friends, 
makes  the  following  charitable 
bequests  :  To  the  Second  Presby- 
terian Church,  Chicago,  $100,000, 
and  for  Mission  Schools  a  like 
sum:  To  the  Scotch  Presbyterian 
Church,  New  York,  $25,000  :  To 
the  Chicago  Orphan  Asylum  and 
the  Nursery  and  Half  Orphan 
Asylum,  $50,000  each :  To  the 
Historical  Society,  the  Presby- 
terian Hospital,  St.  Luke's  Hospi- 
tal and  Bible  Society,  25,000  each  : 
To  the  American  Sunday  School 
Union,  the  Relief  and  Aid  Society, 
Training  School  for  Nurses,  Man- 
ual Training  School,  Presbyterian 

League,  Old  People's  Home,  and  Home  for  the  Friendless,  $50,000 
each  :  To  the  St.  Andrews  Societies  of  New  York  and  of  Chicago,  and 
the  Chicago  Literary  Club,  $10,000  each:  For  the  erection  of  a  colos- 
sal statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  $100,000:  To  the  Greenwood  Ceme- 
tery Association,  $1,000,  and  to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion, $5,000. 

Then  follow  these  cordial,  cheerful,  loving  words  : 

Recognizing  the  fact  that  I  have  been  a  resident  of  Chicago  since  1862,  and  that  the  greater 
part  of  my  fortune  has  been  acquired  here,  and  acknowledging  with  hearty  gratitude  the  kindness 
which  has  always  been  extended  to  me  by  my  many  friends  and  by  my  business  and  social 
acquaintances  and  associates,  I  give,  devise  and  bequeath  all  the  rest,  remainder  and  residue  of  my 
estate,  both  real  and  personal,  for  the  erection,  creation,  maintenance  and  endowment  of  a  fiee 
public  library,  to  be  called  "The  John  Crerar  Library,"  and  to  be  located  in  the  City  of  Chicago, 
the  preference  being  given  to  the  South  Division  of  the  city,  inasmuch  as  the  Newberry  Library 
will  be  located  in  the  North  Division. 


.'.T   Trrrar's 
will. 


HUNTINGTON  W.  JACKSON. 


The  Crerar 
Library. 


414 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


A  message  from 
beyond  the 


The  Armour 
Mission  and 
its  founders. 


This  hearty  greeting  seems  like  a  voice  from  beyond  the  grave; 
like  a  cheery  call  from  a  departing  traveler  as  his  steamer  leaves  the 
dock:  "  Good-bye,  dear  friends,  till  we  meet  again  soon!  "  and  a  toss  back 
of  a  precious  keepsake  to  each,  which  he  had  .been  thoughtfully  provid- 
ing for  the  occasion. 

The  gift  will  probably  reach  $2,000,000.  The  directors  whom  he 
asks  to  have  appointed  for  the  first  year  of  the  corporate  life  of  the 
library  are  Marshall  Field,  E.  W.  Blatchford,  T.  B.  Blackstone,  Robert 
T.  Lincoln,  Henry  W.  Bishop,  Edward  G.  Mason,  Albert  Keep,  Edson 

Keith,  Simon  J.  McPherson,  John 
M.  Clark  and  George  A.  Armour. 
John  Crerar  lived  and  died  a 
bachelor.  His  demeanor  to  his 
fellow  men  was  the  very  type  and 
example  of  equable,  dignified  gay- 
ety,  good  humor,  kindliness  and 
charity  toward  all  the  world.  He 
was  fond  of  the  best  society.  His 
favorite  attitude  was  standing  firm 
and  erect,  the  lapel  of  his  coat 
thrown  back,  and  his  thumb  caught 
in  his  vest.  To  see  him  in  this 
position  was  a  signal  for  gay,  wel- 
coming recognition  from  friends 
and  acquaintances — perhaps  to  the 
number  of  a  thousand  or  more. 


NORMAN  WILLIAMS. 


When  rallied  on  his    insensibility 
to  feminine  charms,  his  customary  answer  was,  "  I  am  in  love  with  all." 


A  great  charity — the  largest  in  Chicago  springing  from  an  individual 
gift — is  the  Armour  Mission.  It  was  established  in  November,  1886, 
and  owes  its  origin  to  a  provision  in  the  will  of  the  late  Joseph  F.  Armour, 
bequeathing  $100,000,  for  its  founding.  He  entrusted  the  carrying  out 
of  his  design  to  his  brother  Philip  D.  Armour,  who  in  administering  the 
trust  has  given  to  it  the  same  tremendous  energy  and  close  attention 
he  shows  in  managing  his  business  affairs ;  and  no  man  excels  him  in 
these  qualities.  With  characteristic  shrewdness  he  has  elected  to 
administer  his  charity  himself,  leaving  nothing  to  the  chances  of  post- 
mortem litigation.  In  this  line  he  has  united  with  his  brother's  bequest 
a  great  gift  of  his  own,  and  the  entire  foundation  now  reaches  the  large 
sum  of  a  million  dollars.  It  is  in  the  hands  of  a  corporation,  having  a 


THE    THRIFTY  EIGHTIES. 


4'5 


JOSEPH    F.  ARMOUR. 


board  of  five  directors,   Philip  D.   Armour,  John  C.  Black,  William  J. 
Campbell,  Jonathan  O.  Armour  and  Philip  D.  Armour,  Jr. 

The  foundation  is  established 

...  ,  i   , 

and  its  income  made  perpetual  by  a 
block  of  buildings  containing  194 
separate  flats  whereof  the  revenue 
is  collected  by  the  corporation  and 
applied  to  the  use  of  the  Mission. 
The  corporation  also  owns  adjoin- 
ing ground  upon  which  Mr. 
Armour  is  erecting  a  manual  train- 
ing school,  to  supplement  the 
instruction  given  in  the  Mission. 
The  construction  of  the  school 
building  is  only  commenced.  It 
is  designed  for  giving  boys  an 
education  in  all  manual  training, 

*    1  i  r  •    1  •      M 

with  departments  for  girls  in 
cooking,  dress-making,  millinery, 
type-writing,  etc.  It  will  be  for 

education  only,    and    not    for  maintenance.     There  will   probably  be 

sessions  both  day  and  evening.      It  will  be  a  magnificent  building,  and 

as  complete   in  every  department 

as    any    similar   institution   in   the 

country.      It   will  cost  upwards  of 

$300,000. 

The     Mission     is    strictly   non- 

sectarian  ;  free  and  open  to  all  to 

the  limit    of   its  capacity,  without 

condition  as   to    sex,    race,    creed 

or    other    peculiarity.       Its     build- 

ing   fronts    north  on     33<-l    street, 

adjoining     Armour     avenue,    and 

is    very     handsome    without   and 

within.     The    first    floor    contains 

a   large  room  fitted  up  to   receive 

the  creche  or  day  nursery,  kitchen, 

day-room,  kindergarten  room,  read- 

ing-room, bath-rooms,  etc.,  and  four 

rooms  used  as  a  free  dispensary  for 

the    sick    poor.     The    second  floor    contains    pastor's    study,   library, 

officer's  rooms  and  a  main  audience  room  capable  of  seating  1,300,  but 

divisible   by    ingenious   glass    partitions  into  nine  separate  rooms  for 


anual    Train- 

inK  school. 


PHILIP  I).  ARMOUR. 


416  THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

classes,  etc.  The  third  floor  contains  a  large  audience-room  with  stage, 
organ,  etc.,  and  a  smaller  place  for  lectures.  The  building  will  accom- 
modate about  2,500  in  all. 

Allusion  has  already  been  made  to  a  bequest  in  the  will  of  William 

William  B.  J  . 

omen's  g  Ogden  which  was  expected  to  inure  to  the  benefit  of  Chicago. 
Further  inquiries  develop  the  fact  that  the  disposition  of  this  fund  was 
not  specified,  but  was  left  to  the  discretion  of  his  executors  and  trustees. 
The  bequest  was  in  these  words  : 

To  such  charitable  uses  as  I  shall  hereafter  designate  without  the  solemnity  of  a  will  ;  or,  in 
default  of  such  designation,  as  a  majority  of  my  said  Executors  and  Trustees  may  select  and  appoint, 
the  remaining  one  and-a  half  shares,  or  seven  and-one-half  per  centum  of  said  income  and  distribut- 
able moneys.  But  in  this  connection  \  authorize  and  empower  my  said  Executors  and  Trustees,  or 
a  majority  of  them,  in  their  own  discretion  and  not  otherwise,  to  apply  not  exceeding  the  said  one- 
half  share  at  any  time  or  from  time  to  time,  in  case  and  so  long  as  it  may  not  have  been  applied  to 
such  charitable  uses,  to  ihe  use  of  all  or  any  of  my  heirs  who  they  may  deem  in  need,  or  worthy  of 
and  entitled  to  receive  the  same. 

The  above  is  the  eighth  section  of  the  third  clause  in  the  will, 
which  clause  was  in  relation  to  the  income  of  the  estate.  In  a  later 
part  (the  eighth  section  of  the  sixth  clause)  he  made  a  similiar  dis- 
position of  one-and-a-half  shares  in  the  principal  of  the  estate. 

It  will  be  observed  that  he  meant  one  share  to  go  to  outside 
chanties,  and  one-half  share  to  the  same,  except  so  much  of  it  as  his 
executors  and  trustees  might  see  fit  to  give  to  heirs  named  elsewhere 
in  the  will,  who  might  be  "  in  need  or  worthy  of  and  entitled  to 
receive  the  same."  The  entire  one-and-a-half  shares  were  devoted,  by 
the  testator,  to  kindly  charity. 

Now  (1801),  a  strange  thing  has  come  to  pass  ;  some  of  the  persons 

Fate  of  his  well-  o  >  r  ' 

Eh!"  effort""  interested  in  that  will  (and  largely  benefited  by  it)  have  sued  in  the 
New  York  courts  to  have  this  bequest  annulled,  for  their  further  bene- 
fit. The  legal  technicality  which  they  urge  to  defeat  the  wishes  of 
Mr.  Ogden  is  the  absence  of  an  existing  beneficiary.  "  There  is  no 
one  who  could  sue  in  any  court  for  its  enforcement,"  and  it  is  held 
that  under  the  New  York  Code  a  clause  of  that  character  must 
be  set  aside.  So  does  law  sometimes  lend  itself  to  the  robbery  of  the 
dead  and  the  living.* 

Not  presuming  to  determine  the  ethics  of  this  proceeding,  it  maybe 
observed  that  it  is  not  probable  that  the  same  trouble  would  have  over- 
taken Mr.  Ogden's  intended  benevolence  if  he  had  remained  a  resident 
of  the  city  where  he  gained  his  fortune  ;  for,  as  Justice  Caton  points 

•The  complainants  in  the  case  are  five,  all  bearing  names  noted  and  honored  in  Chicago,  though  neither  of  the 
five  is  now  among  its  residents.  All  the  other  heirs,  declining  to  join  in  Ihe  proceeding,  are  made  parties  defendant; 
together  with  the  Executors  and  Trustees. 

Since  the  above  remarks  were  penned  Mr,  William  Fitz  Hugh  Whitehouse  (apparently  on  behalf  of  the  com- 
plainants; has  published  a  statement  to  the  effect  that  the  proceeding  was  instituted,  not  to  thwart  the  wishes  of  Mr.  Ogden 
but  to  enable  or  compel  the  trustees  to  carry  them  out  or  to  place  the  fund  (now  $300,000)  in  possession  of  those  legally 

entitled  to  it.  He  adds  :  "Possibly  it  might  be  well  to  wait  and  see  what  they  do  with  the  money It  may  b« 

that  their  use  of  this  charity  fund  will  be  quite  as  appropriate  as  that  which  seems  liltely  to  fail  for  the  present." 


THE    THRIFTY  EIGHTIES.  411 

out  with  justifiable  pride,  the  early  decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Illinois  made  the  intention  of  the  testator  the  rule  for  the  courts, 
and  following  those  precedents,  it  is  only  in  a  case  where  that  inten- 
tion can  not  be  ascertained  that  they  can  assume  any  control  over 
the  bequest. 

A  still  more  gratifying  circumstance  in  this  :  That  a  very  large 
part  of  the  property  left  by  Mr.  Ogden  is  in  the  shape  of  Chicago  real 
estate  ;  also  that  by  law  real  estate  follows  the  rule  of  the  State  wherein 
it  lies  (while  personalty  is  governed  by  the  domicile  of  its  owner);  and 
that  therefore  it  is  probable  that  in  administering  on  that  realty  the 
clauses  quoted  may  be  held  valid  ;  and  some  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
dollars  may  after  all  be  disposed  of  as  Mr.  Ogden  desired,  intended 
and  willed. 


Difference 
be  ween  New 
Yorkand  Chi- 
cago charita- 
able  bequests. 


WILLIAM   T.  SHERMAN  AND    OFFICERS. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  WORLDS  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 

HE  tenth  decade  of  this  greatest  of  cen- 
turies comes  upon  Chicago  "with  the 
burden  of  an  honor  unto  which  she  was 
not  born."     Still  she  takes  it  up  stoutly 
and  bravely,  smiling  as  is  her  wont  alike  in 
storm  and  sunshine.     Work  is  her  play. 
Judging   by  her  past,  she  will  make  no 
failure  in  the  future.     The  undertaking  of 
a  World's  Fair  which   at  least  shall  not 
fall  behind  any  of  the  thirteen  chief  inter- 
national expositions  that  have  preceded 
it  is  bold  almost  to  rashness  ;  but  its  very 
boldness  is  an  element  of  probable  success. 

The  idea  of  celebrating  the  four-hundredth  anniversary  of  Colum- 
bus' discovery  was  of  course  a  spontaneous  thought  in  thousands  of 
minds;  an  idea  which,  without  any  definite  moment  of  origin,  has  grown 
with  the  growth  of  the  century.  The  first  tangible  entity  was  a  cor- 
poration formed  in  1889  under  the  laws  of  Illinois,  under  the  name  of 
"The  World's  Exposition  of  1892."  The  next  the  passage  by  Con- 
gress and  approval  by  President  Harrison,  on  April  25,  1890,  of  an 
act  whereof  the  following  are  the  preamble  and  first  section  : 

WHEREAS,  It  is  fit  and  appropriate  lhat  the  four-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of 
America  be  commemorated  by  an  exhibition  of  the  resources  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
their  development  and  the  progress  of  civilization  in  the  New  World;  and 

WHEREAS,  Such  an  exhibition  should  be  of  a  national  and  international  character,  so  that  not 
only  the  people  of  our  Union  and  this  continent,  but  those  of  all  other  nations  as  well,  can  partici- 
pate, and  should  therefore  have  the  sanction  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States:  Therefore, 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of  America,  in  Con- 
gress assembled,  That  an  exhibition  of  arts,  industries,  manufactures  and  products  of  the  soil,  mine 
and  sea  shall  be  inaugurated  in  the  year  1892,  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  as 
hereafter  provided. 

The  act  adopts  the  name  "  World's  Columbian  Exposition"  and 
provides  for  the  appointment  and  payment  of  a  National  Commission 
empowered  to  accept  for  the  Exposition  such  site  and  such  plans  and 
AaofCongress.specifications  of  buildings  as  may  be  tendered  by  the  "World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition  "  (as  the  Illinois  corporation  was  newly  named),  provided 
that  the  site  and  plans  seem  adequate,  and  provided  "that  said  com- 
mission shall  be  satisfied  that  the  said  corporation  has  an  actual,  bona 

us 


Undertaking  of 
the  World's 
Columbian. 


THE    WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 

fide  and  valid  subscription  to  its  capital  stock  which  will  secure  the  pay- 
ment of  at  least  five  million  dollars  .  .  .  and  that  the  further  sum 
of  five  million  dollars  .  .  will  be  provided  by  said  corporation 

in  ample  time  for  its  needful  use  during  the  prosecution  of  the  work*-' 
for  the  complete  preparation  for  said  Exposition." 

The  first  contest  was  before  the  Congressional  Committee,  to 
secure  the  location  at  Chicago.  Her  central  position,  her  lake  frontage, 
her  large  hotel-room,  her  wealth,  prosperity  and  enterprise,  and  the 


onditional   on 
certain  funds. 


ll  Wli  is    ' 


ADMINISTRATION    BUILDING. 


enthusiastic  confidence  of  her  press  and  people  turned  the  scale  in 
favor  of  Chicago  against  many  contestants.  Then  a  popular  subscrip- 
tion, taking  in  all  classes  from  the  multimillionaire  to  the  day-laborer, 
and  from  the  railway  corporation  to  the  dime  museum,  provided  the 
five  million  dollars  first  exacted.  The  second  five  million  was  provided 
by  an  issue  of  city  bonds  which  it  took  an  act  of  legislature  and  an 
amendment  of  the  State  Constitution  to  authorize. 

Naturally,  among  the  subscribers  to  the  stock,  along  with  persons 
actuated  by  pure  and  unmixed  public  spirit,  were  many  who  (beside 


Funds  pro- 
vided. 


43O 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


agp 
extortion. 


their  unquestionable  public  spirit)  had  much  to  gain  by  the  coming  of 
the  Columbian  to  their  city.  Among  these  were  innkeepers,  caterers, 
etc.,  and  the  cry  arose  that  they  meant  to  recoup  themselves  by  raising 
the  prices  of  entertainment.  To  quiet  this,  an  agreement  was  circulated 
and  signed  by  all  the  prominent  firms,  disclaiming  any  such  purpose 
etc..piedEed  and  pledging  themselves  to  maintain  their  customary  rates.  What  did 

against  » 

happen,  however,  was  an  effort  of  certain  trades'  unions  to  do  some- 
thing of  the  same  sort,  namely,  to  prevent  the  employment  of  wage- 
earners  not  members  of  one  or  other  of  their  bodies ;  and  to  forbid  the 
contracting  for,  or  performance  of,  more  than  eight  hours  as  a  day's 
work  on  the  Fair  grounds;  or  the  payment  or  receipt  of  less  than  cer- 
tain wages,  even  though  employers  and  employed  might  agree  upon  it. 
This  was  also  effectually  disposed  of,  and  the  immense  and  inconceiv- 
able task  of  surveys,  plans,  specifications,  working  drawings  and  details 
was  begun;  to  go  on  unceasingly  for  many  a  month  to  follow. 


h 


UNITED  STATES   GOVERNMENT   BUILDING. 


Naval  reviews. 


The  true 
versary 


Anni- 


The  further  sections  of  the  Act  of  Congress  provide  for  a  Naval 
Review  in  New  York  harbor  in  April,  1893,  foreign  navies  to  be  invited 
to  participate  therein.  Also  for  the  dedication  of  the  Fair  in  Chicago 
on  October  i2th,  1892  (the  aniversary  of  the  day  of  landing),  and  the 
opening  of  the  exhibition  not  later  than  May  i,  1893,  and  its  closing 
not  later  than  October  30,  1893,  a  maximum  interval  of  184  days. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  an  anniversary  occuring  in  1892  should 
be  mainly  celebrated  in  1893,  but  it  should  be  considered  that  the  exhibi- 
tion must  be  held  in  the  summer  months,  and  that,  to  hold  it  in  the 
summer  of  1892,  would  be  to  anticipate  the  event,  and  to  begin  the 
celebration  of  the  landing  on  a  day  of  the  year  when  Columbus  had  not 
yet  set  sail.  An  inaugural  ceremony  on  the  exact  anniversary  and  a 
formal  opening  at  the  earliest  practicable  day  afterward  seems  a  happy 
compromise;  especially  as  the  time  for  preparation  is  short  at  best. 


THE    WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION,  421 

The  next  provision  of  the  act  is  for  the  issuance  of  the  President's 
proclamation  announcing  the  enterprise  to  all  the  World  ;  copies  to  be 
officially  communicated  to  all  foreign  representatives  near  our  Govern- president's 

.    .       .        .         .  •      •  •     *      %T      •  •         i          proclamation. 

ment,  with  invitation  to  their  respective  Nations  to  take  part  in  the 
Exposition  and  appoint  representatives  to  it.  The  next  allows  dutiable 
articles  to  be  imported  for  the  Fair,  under  proper  regulations,  free  of 
customs  dues  and  fees.  The  proclamation  was  issued  December  24, 
1890.  Its  chief  clause  reads  as  follows: 

And  in  the  name  of  the  Government  and  of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  I  do  hereby  invite  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  to  take  part  in  the  commemoration  of  an  event  that  is  pre  eminent  in  human 
history  and  of  lasting  interest  to  mankind,  by  appointing  representatives  thereto,  and  sending  such 
exhibits  to  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  as  will  most  fitly  and  fully  illustrate  their  resources, 
their  industries  and  their  progress  in  civilization. 

Peale's  "Artistic  Guide  to  Chicago  and  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition"  gives  the  following  condensation  of  the  fundamental  facts 
of  the  enterprise : 

The  management  of  the  Exposition  includes  four  organizations: 

1.  National  Commission  (authorized  by  Act  of  Congress). 

2.  World's  Columbian  Exposition  (organized  under  laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois). 

3.  Board  of  Lady  Managers  (authorized  by  Act  of  Congress). 

4.  World's  Congress  Auxiliary. 

The  National  Commission,  which  is  a  supervisory  body,  is  composed  of  eight  commissioners-at- 
large,  with  alternates,  appointed  by  the  President,  and  two  commissioners  and  two  alternates  from 
each  State  and  Territory  and  the  District  of  Columbia,  appointed  by  the  President  on  nomination  of 
their  respective  Governors.  This  commission  has  held  four  sessions,  and  has  now  practically  dele 
gated  its  authority  to  eight  of  its  members  who  constitute  a  Board  of  Reference  and  Control,  and  who 
act  with  a  similar  number  selected  from  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

The   World's  Columbian   Exposition,  as  its  corporate  name  reads,  is  composed  of  forty-five 
citizens  of  Chicago,  elected  annually  by  the  stockholders  of  the  organization.     To  this  body  falls  the 
duty  of  raising  the  necessary  funds  and  of  the  active  management  of  the  Exposition.     Its  committees  Four  orBanjza. 
supervise  the  various  departments  into  which  the  work  has  been  divided.  tions. 

The  Board  of  Lady  Managers  is  composed  of  two  members,  with  alternates,  from  each  State 
and  Territory  and  nine  from  the  City  of  Chicago.  It  has  supervision  of  women's  participation  in 
the  Exposition  and  of  whatever  exhibits  of  women's  work  may  be  made. 

The  World's  Congress  Auxiliary  is  organized  to  provide  for  and  facilitate  the  holding  of  a 
series  of  congresses  of  thinkers,  or  to  supplement  the  exposition  that  will  be  made  of  the  material 
progress  of  the  world  by  a  portrayal  of  the  achievements  in  science,  literature,  education,  govern- 
ment, jurisprudence,  morals,  charity,  art,  religion  and  other  branches  of  mental  activity. 

The  Director-General  is  the  chief  executive  officer  of  the  Exposition,  and  the  work  is  divided 
into  the  following  great  departments: 

A— Agriculture,  Food  and  Food  Products,  Farming  Machinery  and  Appliances. 

B— Viticulture,  Horticulture  and  Floriculture. 

C— Live-stock,  Domestic  and  Wild  Animals.  ?UM 

D — Fish,  Fisheries,  Fish  Products  and  Apparatus  of  Fishing.  depaitmenii. 

E — Mines,  Mining  and  Metallurgy. 

F — Machinery. 

G — Transporation  Exhibit;  Railways,  Vessels,  Vehicles. 

H — Manufactures. 

J— Electricity  and  Electrical  Appliances. 

K— Fine  Arts;  Pictorial,  Plastic  and  Decorative. 

L— Liberal  Arts;  Education,  Engineering,  Public  Works,  Architecture,  Music  and  the  Drama. 

M— Ethnology,  Archaeology,  Progress  of  Labor  and  Invention,  and  Collective  Exhibits. 

N — Forestry  and  Forest  Products. 

O — Publicity  and  Promotion. 

P — Foreign  Affairs. 


422 


General 
officers. 


Board  mem- 
bers. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


CHIEF  EXECUTIVE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  EXPOSITION. 


DIRECTOR  GENERAL:     George  R.  Davis. 

NATIONAL  COMMISSION:  President,  Thomas  W.  Palmer;  Vice- 
Presidents,  Thomas  M.  Waller,  M.  H.  de  Young,  D.  B.  Penn,  G.  W. 
Allen,  Alex.  B.  Andrews;  Secretary,  John  T.  Dickinson. 

WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION:  President,  W.  T.  Baker;  Vice- 
Presidents,  Thomas  B.  Bryan,  Potter  Palmer;  Secretary,  J.  A.  King- 
well;  Solicitor  General,  Benjamin  Butterworth;  Treasurer,  A.  F.  See- 
berger;  Auditor,  W.  K.  Ackerman;  Chief  of  Construction,  D.  H. 
Burnham. 

JOINT  BOARD  OF  REFERENCE  AND  CONTROL. 

From  the  Commission — Thomas  W.  Palmer,  Michigan,  President; 
James  A.  McKenzie,  Kentucky;  George  V.  Massey,  Delaware;  William 


GEO.  R.  DAVIS. 


W.  T.  BAKER. 


Lindsay,  Kentucky;  Michael  H.  de  Young,  California;  Thos.  M. 
Waller,  Connecticut;  Elijah  B.  Martindale,  Indiana;  J.  W.  St.  Clair, 
West  Virginia.  From  the  Directors — Lyman  J.  Gage,  President; 
Thomas  B.  Bryan,  Potter  Palmer,  Ferd.  W.  Peck,  Edward  T.  Jeffery, 
Edwin  Walker,  Frederick  S.  Winston,  W.  T.  Baker. 

In  order  to  judge  of  the  probable  or  possible  magnitude  and  mag- 
nificence of  the  Columbian,  it  is  worth  while  to  glance  backward  at 
some  recorded  items  concerning  past  exhibitions.  The  following  table 
is  made  largely  from  facts  scattered  through  Col.  Norton's  book, 
"World's  Fairs." 


THE    WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 


433 


Exhibitions. 

Exhibit- 
ors. 

Visitors. 

Visitors  in  a 
Single  Day. 

Days 
Open. 

Total 
Outlays. 

Area  in 
Acres. 

Rec'ts  for 
Admis'on. 

Estimated 
Gain  to  City. 

London   1851. 

ILQl? 

6,039,195 

144 

$i  584  ooo 

21 

$i  780  ooo 

Paris,  1855... 
London.  1862. 

23.954 
28,653 

5,162.330 
6,250,000 

123,017 
67.981 

200 

121 

2,257,000 
2,300,000 

41 
24 

644,000 
1,644.000 

30,000,000 

Paris   1867... 

50,226 

10,200,000 

117 

87 

2  103  600 

Vienna  1873 

70  ooo 

7,254,687 

186 

7,850  ooo 

280 

Philad'a    1876 

30,864 

9,910,966 

274,919 

184 

285 

3,813  724 

Paris,   1878... 
Paris,  1889  .  . 

40,366 
55,000 

16,032,725 
28,149,353 

200,613 
400,000 

163 
159 

8,000,000 
8,300,000 

100 

173 

2,531.650 
9.900,000 

15,000  ooo 
50,000,000 

Statistics  of 
previous  fairs. 


When  the  Chicago  plans  are  compared  with  even  the  largest  of 
these,  namely  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1889,  it  seems  small.  The  means  „ 

*  How  Chicago 

"  in  sight"  for  Chicago  are  :  Popular  subscription  and  city  appropriation 
$5,000,000  each  :  Estimated  gate  receipts,  $7,000,000;  Concessions 
$1,000,000,  and  salvage,  $3,000,000.  These  make  $21,000,000.  Then, 


ILLINOIS  STATE  BUILDING. 


the  several  States  and  Territories  which  have  acted  on  the  subject  are 
as  follows  :  Delaware,  $10,000;  Vermont,  Idaho  and  New  Jersey,  20,000 
each  ;  Arizona,  New  Hampshire,  New  Mexico,  North  Carolina,  North 
Dakota  and  Rhode  Island,  $25,000  each;  Wyoming  and  Arizona,  $30,000 
each  ;  Maine  and  West  Virginia,  $40,000  each  ;  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Mon- 
tana and  Nebraska $50,000 each  ;  Wisconsin,  $65,000;  Inclianaand  Mas- 
sachusetts, $75,000  each;  Colorado,  Michigan,  Ohio  and  Washington 
Ten,  $100,000  each  ;  Missouri,  $150,000;  California  and  Pennsylvania, 
$300,oooeach;  Illinois,  $800,000.  These  make  $2,700,000,  with  a  third  of 
all  the  States  and  Territories  yet  to  hear  from,  beginning  with  old  New 
York  and  ending  with  young  Alaska.  These  will  doubtless  bring  the 
total  to  $4,000,000,  making  a  sum  of  $25,000,000  ;  to  which  may  possi- 
bly be  added  a  loan  or  gift  of  $5,000,000  from  the  United  States,  which 


Action  of 
States  and 
Territories. 


424 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


has  already  voted  $1,775,000  for  the  expense  of  its  own  commission  and 
the  governmental  exhibits.  Section  sixteen  of  the  act  provides  as 
follows  : 

That  there  shall  be  exhibited  at  the  said  Exposition,  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
from  its  Executive  Department,  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  the  United  States  Fish  Commission, 
and  the  National  'Museum,  such  articles  and  materials  as  illustrate  the  function  and  administrative 
faculty  of  the  Government  in  time  of  peace,  and  its  resources  as  a  war  power,  tending  to  demon 


ART  PALACE. 

Action  of  the  strate  the  nature  of  our  institutions  and  their  adaptation  to  the  wants  of  the  people,  and  to  secure  a 
government  comp'ete  and  harmonious  arrangement  of  such  a  government  exhibit,  a  board  shall  be  created  to  be 
charged  with  the  selection,  preparation,  arrangement,  safekeeping  and  exhibition  of  such  articles 
and  materials  as  the  heads  of  the  several  departments  and  the  directors  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute 
and  National  Museum  may  respectively  decide  shall  be  embraced  in  the  said  government  exhibit. 
The  President  may  also  designate  additional  articles  for  exhibition.  Such  board  shall  be  composed 


Government 
exhibits. 


TRANSPORTATION  BUILDING. 

of  one  person,  to  be  named  by  the  head  of  each  Executive  Department,  and  one  by  the  directors  of 
the  Smithsonian  Institution  and  National  Museum,  and  one  by  the  Fish  Commission,  such  selec- 
tions to  be  approved  by  the  President  of  the  United  States.  The  President  shall  name  the  chairman 
of  the  said  Board,  and  the  Board  itself  shall  select  such  other  officers  as  it  may  deem  necessary. 

That  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  place  on  exhibition, 
upon  such  grounds  as  shall  be  allotted  for  the  purpose,  one  of  the  life-saving  stations  authorized  to 
be  constructed  on  the  coast  of  the  United  States  by  existing  law,  and  to  cause  the  same  to  be  fully 
equipped  with  all  apparatus,  furniture  and  appliances  now  in  use  in  all  life-saving  stations  of  the 
United  States,  said  building  and  apparatus  to  be  removed  at  the  close  of  the  exhibition  and  re-erected 
at  the  place  now  authorized  by  law. 


THE    M'ORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 


425 


EXPENDITURES. 


The  total  disbursements  to  November  i,    1891,   for  all  purposes, 
have  been  $1,694,575.     The  estimated  total  expenses  to  be  borne  by 
tlie  Exposition  Company  are  :     Grounds  and   Buildings,  $  12, 966,890 ; °±yis,,1V£erto 
organization  and  administration,  $3,308,563  ;   operation  expenses,  May 
to  November,  1893,  1,550,000.     Total,  $17,825,453. 

The  foreign  nations  and  colonies  which  have  formally  determined 
to  participate  in  the  Exposition,  and  the  amounts  of  their  appropria- 
tions made  or  officially  proposed,  as  far  as  information  concerning  them 
has  been  received  at  headquarters,  are  the  following  : 


Guatemala $120,000 

Hayti 

Honduras 20,000 

Japan 500.000 

Mexico 750,000 

Netherlands  (declined) 

Dutch  Guiana 6,000 

"       West  Indies 10,000 

Nicaragua 50,000 

Paraguay 

Persia 

Peru 100,000 

Russia 


Argentine  Republic $ loo.ooo 

Austria-Hungary 147,000 

Belgium 

Bolivia 150,000 

Brazil 550,000 

China 

Chili 100,000 

Colombia 100.000 

Costa  Rica 100,000 

Denmark 

Danish  West  Indies 10,000 

Ecuador 125,000 

France • 400,000 

Algeria--: •;ialvaIdor-. 30.000 Aaion  of  for. 

rrench  Guiana San  Domingo eii;n  nations. 

Germany 25o,coo       Siam 

Great  Britain 125,000:    Spain 

Barbadoes Cuba 25,000 

British  Columbia   Porto  Rico 

"        Guiana 20.000  !    Turkey 

"         Honduras 7,ooo  j    Uruguay 

Cape  Colony Venezuela 

Ceylon 40  ooo       Zanzibar 

Jamaica 10,000 

New  South  Wales Total $3,887.500 

New  Zealand 27,500 

Trinidad 15,000  \ 

The  other  foundations  for  grandeur  are  not  out  of  proportion  to 
the  financial  outlook.  The  ground,  as  already  observed,  is  666  acres— 

..  .  •  •         i    /r  *ll  A  mile  squareof 

over  a   square  mile — and  wherever  more  is  required  (tor  agricultural    lamiamimore 
competitions,  military  and  civic  encampments,  etc.)  more  is  available  in 
convenient    proximity.       The  boulevards   of  the    city,    all  connected 
together  and  connected  with  the  Columbian  Grounds,  measure  about 
forty-five  miles. 

Quoting  from  the  report  made  by  Lyman  J.  Gage  before  his  resig- 
nation as  president  of  the  corporation: 

The  ground  is  being  prepared  for  a  system  of  lagoons  and  canals  from  100  to  300  feet  wide, 
which,  with  the  broad,  grassy  terraces  leading  down  to  them,  will  pass  the  principal  buildings,  inclose 
a  wooded  island  800  feet  long  and  form  a  circuit  of  three  miles,  navigable  by  pleasure  boats.  These 
canals,  which  will  be  crossed  by  many  bridges,  will  connect  with  the  lake  at  two  points,  one  at  the  Thc  i,|,ean<i 

southern  limit  of  the  present  improved  portion  of  the  Park,  and  the  other  more  than  half  a  mile  fur-     the  water 

courses. 
ther  south,  at  the  great  main  court  of  the  Exposition.       At  this    point,  extending  eastward  into  the 

Lake  1200  feet,  will  be  piers  which  will  afford  a  landing  place  for  the  lake  steamers  and  inclose  a 
harbor  for  the  picturesque  little  pleasure  boats  of  all  epochs  and  nations,  which  will  carry  passengers 
along  the  canals,  stopping  at  numerous  landing-places. 


426 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Statueof 
liberty. 


The  harbor  will  be  bounded  on  the  east,  far  out  in  the  lake,  by  the  long-columned  facade  of 
the  Casino,  in  whose  free  spaces  crowds  of  men  and  women,  protected  by  its  ceiling  of  gay  awnings, 
can  look  east  to  the  lake  and  west  to  the  long  vista  between  the  main  edifices  as  far  as  the  gilded 
dome  of  the  Administration  Building.  The  first  notable  object  in  this  vista  will  be  the  colossal  Statue 
of  Liberty,  rising  out  of  the  lagoon  at  the  point  where  it  enters  the  land,  protected  by  moles  which 
will  carry  sculptured  columns  emblematic  of  the  thirteen  original  States  of  our  Union.  Beyond  this, 
beyond  the  first  of  many  bridges,  will  lie  a  broad  basin,  from  which  grassy  terraces  and  broad  walks 
will  lead,  on  the  north,  to  the  south  elevation  of  the  enormous  Main  Building,  and  on  the  south  to 
the  structure  dedicated  to  agriculture. 

The  Main  Building,  extending  northwestward  a  third  of  a  mile,  will  be  devoted  to  manufac- 
tures and  Liberal  Arts,  and  will  receive  from  all  nations  the  rich  products  of  modern  workmanship. 
Recalling  architecturally  the  period  of  classic  revival,  it  has  the  vivacity,  the  emphatic  joyousness 
of  that  awakening  epoch.  The  long,  low  lines  of  its  sloping  roof,  supported  by  rows  of  arches, 
will  be  relieved  by  a  central  dome  over  the  great  main  entrance;  and  emblematic  statuary  and  float- 
ing banners  will  add  to  its  festive  character. 

The  north  elevation  of  the  classic  edifice  devoted  to  agriculture  will  show  a  long  arcade 
behind  corinthian  columns,  supporting  a  series  of  triple  arches  and  three  low,  graceful  domes.  Lib- 
erally adorned  with  sculpture  and  enriched  with  color,  this  building,  by  its  simplicity,  refinement 


MANUFACTURES  AND  LIBERAL  ARTS  BUILDING. 


General 
architectural 
scheme. 


and  grace,  will  be  idyllically  expressive  of  pastoral  serenity  and  peace.  At  its  noble  entrance  a 
statute  of  Ceres  will  offer  hospitality  to  the  fruits  of  the  earth.  Behind  it,  at  the  south,  sixty-three 
acres  of  land  will  be  reserved  for  the  live  stock  exhibit. 

The  lofty  octagonal  dome  of  the  Administration  Building  forms  the  central  point  of  the  arch- 
itectural scheme.  Rising  from  the  columned  stones  of  its  square  base,  250  feet  into  the  air,  it  will 
stand  in  the  center  of  a  spacious  open  plaza,  adorned  with  statuary  and  fountains,  with  flower-beds 
and  terraces  sloping  at  the  east  down  to  the  main  lagoon.  North  of  the  plaza  will  be  the  two  build- 
ings devoted  to  mines  and  electricity;  the  latter  bristling  with  points  and  pinnacles,  as  if  to  entrap 
from  the  air  the  intangible  element  whose  achievements  it  will  display. 

South  of  the  plaza  will  be  Machinery  Hall,  with  its  power-house  at  the  southeast  corner. 
A  subway  at  the  west  will  pass  under  the  terminal  railway  loop  of  the  Illinois  Central  Road  to  the 
circular  machinery  annex  within.  North  of  this  railway  loop,  and  along  the  western  limit  of  the 
park,  will  be  the  Transportation  Building.  Still  further  north,  lying  west  of  the  North  Branch  of  the 
lagoon  at  the  point  where  it  encloses  the  wooded  island,  will  extend  the  long  shining  surfaces  and  the 
gracefully  curving  roof  of  the  Crystal  Palace  of  Horticulture.  Following  the  lagoon  northward,  one 
Machinery  Hall.  wjjj  pass  tne  \yornen's  Building,  and  eastward  will  reach  the  island  devoted  to  the  novel  and  inter- 
esting fisheries  exhibit,  shown  in  an  effective,  low-roofed  romanesque  structure,  flanked  by  two  vast 
circular  aquaria,  in  which  the  spectator  can  look  upward  through  the  clear  waters  and  study  the 
creatures  of  ocean  and  river.  This  building  will  be  directly  west  of  the  northern  opening  of  the  system 
of  lagoons  into  Lake  Michigan,  and  in  a  straight  line  with  the  Government  Building  and  the  Main 
Building  which  extend  along  the  lake  shore  to  the  southeast. 


THE    WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 


431 


North  of  the  lagoon  which  bounds  this  fisheries  island  lies  the  present  improved  portion  of 
Jackson  Park,  which  will  be  reserved  for  the  buildings  of  States  and  of  foreign  governments.     The 
Illinois  Building  will  occupy  a  commanding  position   here,  its  classic   dome  being  visible  over  the 
long  lagoon  from  the  central  plaza.     Along  the  Midway  Plaisance  will  be  placed  a  number  of  special  Fisheries 
exhibits,  like  the  historical  series  of  human  dwellings,  reproductions  of  famous  streets,  etc.,  and  it  is     'slan<1- 
probable  that  some  of  these  may  overflow  into  Washington   Park. 

This  admirable  and  picturesque  description,  from  the  pen  of  one 
who  has  been  in  and  of  the  business  since  its  very  beginning,  is  neces- 
sarily the  best  forth-setting  possible  to  find  or  to  make.  One  would 
wish  that  every  intelligent  being  in  all  civilized  lands  might  read  it,  to 
get  an  idea  of  the  vast  use  which  is  to  be  made  of  such  vast  means. 

General  Nelson  A.  Miles,  com- 
manding the  Military  Division  in 
which  Chicago  is  situated,  has  been,  Genera,  Miles 


' 


by  the  War  Department,  appointed 
in  charge  of  the  military  features 
of  the  Columbian.  He  thinks  there 
should  be  here  5,000  United  States 
regulars,  including  five  regiments 
of  infantry,  two  regiments  of  cavalry 
and  four  batteries  of  light  artillery. 
Also  at  least  10,000  militia  and,  if 
possible,  2,000  Indians  from  various 
tribes.  Colorado,  California,  North 
Dakota,  Kansas,  Indiana,  Ohio  and 

Troops  and 

Pennsylvania  propose  to  send  some  Indians- 
of  their  best  companies  of  citizen 
soldiery  ;  and  it  is  said  that  the 
famous  "  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery,"  of  Boston,  an  organi- 
zation dating  from  1640,  will  be 
present. 

There  might  be  (what  is  so 
fine  a  feature  of  foreign  reviews)  a 
sham  battle  ;  an  attack  and  defence  of  a  fortified  post  ;  or  the  meeting 
of  two  armed  forces  of  which  one  (the  weaker)  intrenches  itself  under 
cover  of  its  skirmishers,  who,  when  driven  in  by  overwhelming  num- 
bers,. retire  only  to  unmask  the  "deadly  earthwork,"  pierced  for  artillery 
and  topped  by  a  solid  line  of  musketry.  The  entire  paraphernalia  of  Possible  sham 
war  should  be  there  ;  the  intrenching  tools,  the  military  telegraph,  the 
balloon  service,  the  ammunition  hurried  up  from  the  rear,  the  stretchers 
picking  up  wounded,  the  field  hospitals  with  their  terrible  appliances 
and  all.  These,  with  the  roar  of  artillery,  the  rattle  of  musketry,  the 
bugle  calls  and  shouts  of  command,  would  make  a  splendid  spectacle. 


GEN".  NELSON  A.  MILES. 


428 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Pride  in  sho\ 
ing  how  few 
soldiers  we 
need. 


Thousands  of  veterans  would  feel  their  hearts  thrill  anew  at  the 
long-remembered  sights  and  sounds.  Patriotism  would  revive,  in  hearts 
long  given  over  to  the  pursuit  of  gain,  at  the  sight  of  a  living  picture 
of  the  late  deadly  struggle  by  which  their  prosperity  was  made  possible. 
As  to  visitors  from  foreign  military  nations,  we  should  be  proud  to  show 
"them,  not  how  great  is  our  military  strength,  but,  on  the  contrary,  how 
little  is  needed  in  a  nation  of  self-governed  freemen.  They  well  know 
that,  strong  or  weak  in  a  show  of  arms,  we  are  invincible  in  the  defence 
of  our  home. 

The  Board  of  Lady  Managers  is  composed  as  follows  :  President, 
Mrs.  Potter  Palmer ;  Vice-presidents — First,  Mrs.  Ralph  Trautman,  of 
New  York ;  Second,  Mrs.  Edwin  C.  Burleigh,  of  Maine  ;  Third,  Mrs. 


WOMEN'S  BUILDING. 


Charles  Price,  of  North  Carolina  ;  Fourth,  Mrs.  Catharine  L.  Minor, 
of  Louisiana;  Fifth,  Mrs.  Beriah  Wilkins,  of  the  District  of  Columbia; 
Sixth,  Mrs.  Susan  R.  Ashley,  of  Colorado ;  Seventh,  Mrs.  Flora  Beall 

LadymanaKers.Ginty,  of  Wisconsin ;  Eighth,  Mrs.  Margaret  Blaine  Salisbury,  of 
Utah  ;  At  Large,  Mrs.  Russell  B.  Harrison,  of  Montana. 

Vice  Chairman  Executive  Committe,  Mrs.  Virginia  C.  Meredith,  of 
Indiana.     Secretary,  Mrs.  Susan  G.  Cooke,  of  Tennessee. 

The    Board  is  constituted  in   the  same  way  as  is  the  Columbian 
Commission  ;  eight  delegates  and  eight  alternates  by  Commissioners-at- 

Lady  delegates.  Large,  and  two  delegates  and  two  alternates  from  each  State  and  Ter- 
ritory. This,  with  the  officers,  brings  the  number  to  over  one  hundred. 
The  duties  of  the  Board,  as  prescribed  by  the  Columbian  Commission, 
are :  To  appoint  one  or  more  members  of  all  committees  authorized  to 


THE    WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 


439 


award  prizes  for  exhibits  which  may  be  produced  in  whole  or  in  part  by 
female  labor:  To  manage  and  control  the  "Women's  Building  "on  theTh(.irpowers 
Fair  grounds :    To  have  general   charge  and   management  of  all  the   ' 
interests  of  women  in  connection  with  the  Exposition  ;  so  that  its  man- 
agement, so  far  as  it  relates  to  women's  work,  exhibits  and  interests  in 
general,  shall  be  under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of  Lady  Managers, 
through   its  President,  shall  be  necessary  before  final  and  conclusive 
action  is  taken. 

The  first  meeting  of  the    Board  took  place   November    19,  1890. 
President  Thomas  W.  Palmer  made  an  excellent  address,  expressly  dis- 
carding the  old  style  of  talk  used  when  women  were  regarded  as  with- Firsl  m«tm«- 
out   powers  or    duties  except    those  for  promoting    philanthropic  or 
sentimental  enterprises. 


FISH  AND  FISHERIES  BUILDING. 

Mrs.  William  Felton,  of  Georgia,  elected  temporary  chairman, 
made  a  speech  of  admirable  temper  and  timeliness.  She  said  : 

As  a  Southern  woman,  I  certainly  appreciate  this  compliment  at  your  hands,  and  my  own 
inexperience  gives  me  more  serious  concern  at  this  hour  than  at  any  time  in  my  life  before.  I  can 
only  promise  to  do  my  very  best  in  this  unexpected  position.  .  .  .  My  heart  is  full  of  kindness 
to  every  one  of  you.  I  know  no  North,  no  South,  no  East,  no  West.  We  are  all  dear  sisters 
engaged  in  a  work  full  of  patriotism  and  loyalty  under  the  grand  old  flag  in  the  home  of  our 
fathers. 

At  the  next  meeting  Mrs.  Potter  Palmer,  of  Chicago,  was  elected 
President;  and  in   her  turn  made  an  admirable  speech.     Among  others 
things  she  said : 

I  regret,  after  such  a  mark  of  confidence,  that  I  have  to  ask  the  indulgence  of  the  ladies  for 
my  inexperience  in  presiding.  I  hope  that  when  we  have  been  holding  meetings  as  long  as  the 
other  sex  have,  a  knowledge  of  parliamentary  law  will  be  taken  as  a  matter  of  course  in  every 
woman's  training.  In  ihe  meantime,  we  may  amend  an  amendment  just  a  few  times  too  often. 
...  We  may  surprise  Roberts  and  Gushing  by  proving  that  motions  put  down  in  their  manuals 
as  undebatable  present  no  difficulties  in  that  line  to  us.  .  . 


and  Mrs. 
Palmer. 


4JO 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Mrs.  Palmer's 
foreign  trip. 


The  full  benefit  of  this  intermingling  will  not  be  felt  unless  we,  each  and  all,  are  generously 
willing  to  leave  for  a  time  the  narrow  boundaries  in  which  our  individual  lives  are  passed,  to  give 
our  hearts  and  minds  an  airing  by  entering  into  the  thoughts  and  aspirations  of  others  and  enjoy 
ing  the  alluring:  vistas  which  are  open  before  us. 

The  second  session  of  the  Board  was  held  in  September,  1891. 
Mrs.  President  Palmer  reported  a  trip  abroad  which  she  had  taken,  at 
her  own  expense,  in  the  interest  of  the  board.  She  also  mentioned  the 
fact  that  a  salary  of  $5,000  a  year  had  been  kindly  and  considerately 
appropriated  to  the  office  she  held,  although  she  felt  obliged  personally 
to  decline  it,  feeling  that  there  would  be  other  ways  of  spending  all  the 
money  that  the  available  sources  would  supply.  In  Europe  she  had 
found  many  women  most  favorably  disposed  toward  the  Women's  Board 
and  enthusiastic  in  their  wishes  to  help  it.  She  had  found  that  it  was  a 


How  royalty 
and  aristoc- 
racy look  at 
the  move- 
ment. 


MACHINERY  HALL. 

mistake  to  think  that  this  was  the  first  movement  of  the  kind,  for  the 
French  Government  had  created  a  committee  of  women  in  connection 
with  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1889,  to  organize  and  carry  on  a  "  Con- 
gress of  Feminine  Works  and  Institutions,"  the  congress  having  been 
shared  by  all  countries  which  desired  to  do  so,  and  the  expenses  being 
paid  by  the  French  Government,  the  women  being  entertained  as  gov- 
ernment officials  by  M.  Guiot  (a  great  champion  of  women)  and  other 
ministers. 

It  may  interest  you  to  know  that  I  found,  as  might  be  expected,  the  persons  highest  in  rank 
the  most  conservative.  Princess  Christian,  and  later  Madame  Carnot,  were  opposed  to  any  extreme 
views  about  women,  deprecated  their  trying  to  enter  the  learned  professions  and  to  take  the  highest 
honors  at  colleges,  as  they  thought  it  led  to  nothing.  They  disapproved,  consequently,  of  the  suf- 
frage movement,  but  were  extremely  interested  in  all  plans  to  educate  women  so  that  they  might  gain 


THE    WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION.  43i 

better  wages  in  the  employments  usual  to  their  sex,  and  especially  in  all  that  tended  to  make  good 
wives  and  mothers  and  happy  homes. 

Princess  Christian  has  for  years  been  at  the  head  of  many  of  the  most  important  industrial 
movements  in  England  such  as  the  South  Kensington  School  of  Art  Needlework,  and  has  recently 
assisted  at  the  opening  of  a  college,  of  which  she  is  the  patroness,  and  of  which  she  spoke  with  great  ., 
interest.  In  this  college  women  are  taught,  beside  all  the  industrial  arts,  such  as  carving,  model- 
ing, etc.,  household  economy  and  sewing.  The  Princess  was  greatly  pleased  with  our  plans  from 
the  standpoint  to  be  made  of  the  showing  for  industrial  women,  and  before  I  left  there  proposed 
forming  a  committee  to  aid  us. 

I  must  forewarn  you  that  we  American  women  will  find  it  difficult  to  come  up  to  the  expecta- 
tion formed  of  us  abroad.  We  are  considered  very  advanced,  especially  in  the  matter  of  organiza- 
tion and  cohesion:  There  each  woman  carries  on  her  own  work  by  the  impulse  she  individually 
gives  it,  and  when  she  dies  or  drops  out,  the  work  falls  to  pieces.  ...  I  must  say  again  to  our 
members  that  we,  as  women  of  America,  have  been  given  an  opportunity  such  as  has  never  before 
occurred.  .  .  If  we  do  not  realize  the  almost  solemn  nature  of  the  trust  placed  in  our  hands,  we 
shall  set  back  the  clock  of  time  half  a  century  for  women.  If  we  live  up  to  the  possibilities,  we  shall 
open  a  new  era  for  them.  " 


HORTICULTURAL  BUILDING. 


At  the  meeting  of  the  State  Boards  on  December  u,  1891,  Mrs. 
President  Palmer,  on  invitation,  addressed  the  delegates.  She  said  : 
"  No  sentimental  sympathy  for  women  will  cause  the  admission  of 
second-rate  objects;  for  the  highest  standard  of  excellence  is  to  be  strictly 
maintained."  She  also  gave  an  explanation  of  what  the  Commissioners, 
co-operating  with  the  Board  of  Lady  Managers,  would  be  asked  to  aid 
in  doing.  First,  to  get  a  representative  exhibit  of  women's  work  ; 
second,  to  get  statistics  of  women's  work  that  may  enter  to  other  exhibits ; 
third,  to  find  women's  work  worthy  to  be  shown  in  the  "  Women's  build- 
ing "  ;  fourth,  to  recommend  to  the  general  Board  women  fit  to  serve 
on  juries  of  award  ;  fifth,  to  see  that  their  educational  work  should 
have  its  proper  showing;  sixth,  the  same  regading  their  charitable 
work  ;  seventh,  to  secure  the  desirable  publicity  ;  eighth,  to  aid  in  the 
collection  of  a  loan  exhibition  of  old  lace,  embroideries,  fans,  etc. ;  ninth, 
to  secure  the  books  written  by  women  to  be  in  the  Women's  Library, 
especially  books  relating  to  the  exact  sciences,  philosophy,  art,  etc. 


Mrs.  Palmer's 
address  to  the 
commissioners. 


432 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Mrs.  Palmer  announced  that  she  had  addressed  an  official  lettter  to 
the  chief  lady  in  each  of  the  foreign  governments  and  courts,  asking 
co-operation  in  the  effort  making  in  relation  to  the  sex  in  the  Columbian 
Exposition. 

The  "Auxiliary  "  aims  to  do  for  mind  what  the  other  departments 
do  for  matter.  "  Not  things,  but  men  "  is  its  motto.  To  use  its  own 
language : 

The  World's  Congress  Auxiliary  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  is  an  organization 
authorized  and  supported  by  the  Exposition  corporation  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  about  a  series 


MINES  AND  MINING  BUILDING. 

The  Amili  °'  wor'd's  conventions  of  the  leaders  in  the  various  departments  of  human  progress  during  the 
exposition  season  of  1893.  The  Auxiliary  has  also  been  recognized  and  approved  by  the  government 
of  the  United  States.  Its  general  announcement  has  been  sent  to  foreign  governments  by  the 
Department  of  State  and  an  appropriation  on  account  of  its  expenses  has  been  made  by  act  of  Con- 
gress. .  . 


ELECTRICAL  BUILDING. 

The  Auxiliary  has  no  jurisdiction  over  any  exhibit  of  material  things,  but  will  deal  exclusively 
with  conventions  of  persons  and  their  proceedings.  The  Exposition  will  present  the  progress  of 
mankind  as  represented  by  material  forms  ;  while  the  Auxiliary  will  portray  that  progress  with  the 
pen  and  the  living  voice  and  will  endeavor  to  crown  the  whole  glorious  work  by  the  formation  and 
adoption  of  better  and  more  comprehensive  plans  than  have  hitherto  been  pursued  to  secure  the 


THE    WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION.  433 

progress,  prosperity,  unity,  peace  and  happiness  of  the  world.  ...  We  are  informed  that  at 
Paris  there  were  about  sixty  different  conventions  and  congresses  during  the  last  exposition  there, 
and  we  suppose  there  will  be  many  more  during  the  exposition  here. 

Among  prominent  subjects  to  be  discussed  in  congresses  to  be 
brought  together  under  these  auspices  are  Education,  Temperance, 
Moral  and  Social  Reform,  Labor,  Literature,  Law  Reform,  Commerce 
and  Finance,  Agriculture,  Arbitration  and  Peace,  Music,  Art,  Women's 
welfare,  etc.  To  avoid  the  confusion  which  might  arise  from  the  acci- 
dental occurrence  of  too  many  conventions  at  any  one  time,  the  sub- 
jects have  been  divided  into  groups  and  each  group  assigned  to  one  of  the 
months  during  which  the  Exposition  shall  be  open.  The  Auxiliary  will 
avoid  interference  with  any  of  the  conventions,  except  so  far  as  it  may 
help  them  by  furnishing  places  of  meeting  and  other  needed  facilities. 

A  large  number  of  corresponding  and  honorary  memberships  of  the 
Auxiliary  have  been  created,  and  many  cordial  responses  have  been 


A  congress  of 
congresses. 


AGRICULTURAL  BUILDING. 


received  from  the  distinguished  persons  to  whom  they  have  been  offered, 
including  such  men  as  Lord  Tennyson,  Archbishop  Ireland,  James  G. 
Elaine,  Carl  Schurz,  Edward  Everett  Hale,  Robert  Collyer,  Andrew 
White,  John  G.  Whittier,  Phillips  Brooks,  James  Brice,  Sir  Edwin 
Arnold,  Theodore  Thomas,  etc.  The  officers  of  the  Auxiliary  are 
C.  C.  Bonney,  president;  Thomas  B.  Bryan,  vice-president;  Lyman  J. 
Gage,  treasurer;  Benjamin  Butterworth,  secretary. 

This  "Auxiliary"  seems  to  those  engaged  in  it  the  one  feature  of 
the  Columbian  which  is  entirely  new,  and  an  advance  on  all  previous 
World's  Fairs.  This  fact  makes  it  all  the  more  difficult  to  arrange,  and 
the  difficulty  is  increased  by  the  intangible  nature  of  the  things  to  be  set 
forth  —  thoughts,  conclusions,  results  of  study  and  research,  immaterial 
products  of  the  brain  of  man,  instead  of  the  material  work  of  his  hands. 
It  is  a  convention  of  conventions,  a  congress  of  congresses. 


real  men 
who  have 
responded. 


434 


THE   STORY    OF  CHICAGO. 
BUILDING  PLANS  AT  THE  OPENING  OF  rSgz. 


BUILDINGS. 

Length, 
feet. 

Width, 
feet. 

Height, 
ieet. 

Cost. 

ARCHITECTS. 

Administration  

260 
420 
700 
700 
800 

1.  000 

850 

1,151 

400 

498 

1,688 
500 
200 
960 

1,000 

500 

348 

450 
300 
200 

200 
300 

260 
350 
350 
345 

500 
778 
5°o  \ 

57o  f 

2CO 

298 
788 
320  ) 
I  2O  ) 
250 
2,0 
2OO 
70 
1  6O 
125 
9i 
65 
75 

%  220 
150 
162 
112 
130 

$  450,000 
400,000 
260,000 
375,000 
540,000 
200,000 

1,200,000 

I2O.OOO 
2OO.OOO 
1,100,000 

500,000 

280,000 
300,000 
100,000 
100,000 
250,090 
35,000 
30,000 
150,000 
150,000 

Richard  M.  Hunt  (N.  Y.) 
Windrim  &  Edbrooke. 
S.  S.  Beman  (Pullman). 
Van  Brunt  &  Howe  (Bost'n). 
McKim,  Meade&  White 
(N.  Y.) 

Peabody  &  Stearns  (Bost'n). 

Sophia  G.  Hayden  (Bost'n). 
Henry  Ives  Cobb  (Chicago). 
George  B.  Post  (N.  Y.) 

C.  B.  Atwood  (Chicago). 

Adler  &  Sullivan  (Chicago). 
W.  L.  B.  Jenney  (Chicago). 

United  States  Government 

Electrical    

Agricultural       

"    Annex  and  Assembly  Hall 
Machinery  Hall  . 

130 

85 
144 
So 

125 

112 
113 

"    Annex  and  Power  House 

Building  plans     " 

Manufactures  and  Liberal  Arts  .  . 
Fine  Arts  

Transportation  

Horticultural              

United  States  Battle  Ship  

Sawmill  

Casino  (including  cost  of  pier).  .  . 
Total  up  to  date  

$6.  740.000 

The  Exposition  Company  has  very  large  expenditures  to  meet  in 
addition  to  the  cost  of  the  buildings.  In  fact,  the  latter  does  not  con- 
stitute one-half  of  the  total  amount  necessary  to  carry  through  the 
Exposition  enterprise.  In  a  recent  report  made  by  the  Grounds  and 
Buildings  Committee,  the  following  estimates  of  such  expenses  were 


given  : 

Grading,   filling,  etc $  450,400 

Landscape  gardening 323,490 

Viaducts  and  bridges..  125,000 

y  P^rs 70,000 

Waterway  improvements 225,000 

Railways 500,000 

Steam  plant 800,000 

Electricity 1,500,000 

Statuary  on  buildings 100,000 

Vases ,  lamps  and  posts 50,000 


Seating $      8,000 

Water  supply,  sewerage,  etc 600,000 

Improvement  of  lake  front 200,000 

World's  congress  auxiliary 200,000 

Construction  department  expenses,  in- 

cludingfuel,  etc 520.000 

Organization  and  administration   3.308,563 

Operating  expenses 1,550,000 

Total $10  530,453 


Seventeen  mill- 
ions to  be  laid 
out. 


Fire  depart- 
ment. 


Adding  to  this  the  amount  estimated  to  be  necessary  for  buildings 
($7,295,000),  and  the  grand  total  sum  to  be  expended  by  the  Exposi- 
tion Company,  stands  at  $17,825,453.  All  of  the  great  buildings  have 
been  contracted  for  and  are  under  construction.  On  several  the  work 
is  proceeding  night  and  day,  and  all  are  being  pushed  to  completion  by 
large  forces  of  workmen.  Insurance  is  placed  and  increased  on  the 
buildings  as  their  construction  proceeds.  It  is  the  intention  to  carry 
insurance  aggregating  $300,000,000  on  the  buildings  and  exhibits. 

For  protection  against  fire  there  are,  and  are  to  be,  an  organized 
fire-brigade  and  reels  of  hose  in  convenient  places  on  every  side.  Dur- 
ing the  early  stages  of  construction  three  million-gallon  pumps  will  be 
relied  on  for  the  checking  of  any  blaze;  later,  four  great  pumps  of  a 


THE    WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 


435 


capacity  of  forty  million  gallons  in  twenty-four  hours,  will  be  provided, 
which  will  ordinarily  supply  the  fountains,  etc.,  but  can  be  instantly- 
turned  into  an  efficient  fire-service.  Chicago  is  a  trained  veteran  in 
that  warfare  ! 

The  materials  for  the  structures  will,  of  course,  be  iron  and  steel, 
glass,  slate,  tiles,  wood,  stone,  brick,  cement,  asphaltum  and  con- 
crete. To  these  ordinary  building  articles  will  be  added,  in  large 
measure,  "  staff,"  which  is  the  name  given  to  plaster  of  paris  through 
which  jute  is  mixed  to  hold  it  together,  as  straw  was  used  for  bricks  by 
the  Israelites  in  Egypt. 

Sewerage  will  be  carefully  provided,  and  the  sewage  pumped  to  a 
central  station,  where  it  will  be  separated  ;  the  liquid  part,  well  diluted 


Building 
materials. 


Sewerage. 


WALTER  FEARN. 


CHARLES  C.  BONNEY. 


and  carried  off  by  sewers,  and  the  solid  portion  be  treated,  pressed,  and 
dried,  to  be  burned  or  sold  for  fertilizing  purposes. 

At  this  present  writing  (end  of  1891),  the  Columbian  mile-square 
looks  like  a  city  of  incipient  palaces,  hillocks,  slopes,  pleasure-grounds, 
lakes,  water-ways,  etc.,  just  springing  up  on  a  lonely  coast,  as  if  at  the 
waving  of  an  enchanter's  wand.  One  would  not  imagine  from  this 
sordid  toiling  and  moiling,  that  minds'  eyes  from  all  over  the  world 
below  the  horizon  are  directed  that  way.  But  so  it  is  :  Thought  is  bent 
upon  that  shore,  and  whither  thought  turns,  footsteps  follow.  Delighted, 
edified,  instructed,  broadened  and  softened  will  be  the  vast  crowds  who 
will  tread  that  mile-square  in  1893. 


Aspect  of  the 
ground  in 
Dec.  1891. 


436  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

TRANSPORTATION. 

The  problem  of  transporting  visitors  to  and  from  the  Columbian  grounds  has  yet  to  be 
solved.  The  avenues  of  travel  already  in  existence  are  quite  inadequate  ;  and  the  difficulty  is  one 
not  met  with,  in  its  present  degree,  at  any  previous  World's  Fair,  because  neither  of  them  has  been 
as  far  from  the  main  body  of  its  city  as  is  the  Columbian  from  the  centre  of  Chicago.  In  Paris,  as 
statistics  show,  the  average  attendance  was  137,289  ;  and  the  estimate  of  the  largest  attendance  on 
any  single  day  was  about  400,000  (probably  an  overestimate).  Now,  taking  that  as  a  guide,  how  is 
an  equal  number  of  visitors  to  be  carried  to  Jackson  Park  in  any  six  or  eight  hours  ?  And,  still 
more  puzzling,  how  is  that  number,  or  anything  like  it,  to  be  carried  away  from  the  grounds  at  the 
close  of  any  day,  the  time  when  most  visitors  will  desire  to  depart  thence  ? 

A  late  report  (October  31,  180.1)  of  the  Columbian  sub-committee  having  the  matter  in  charge 
gives  the  following  estimates  of  the  capacity  of  all  methods  now  in  existence  : 

Walking  and  carriages,  per  hour  15,000 

Chicago  city  cable  lines      "          12,000 

Illinois  Central  Railroad    "          6,000 

Other  railroads  " 1,000 

Water  craft  " 5,ooo 


39,000 

The  committee  proceeds  to  make  suggestions  as  to  possible  enlargements,  such  as  Lake 
Front  viaducts,  to  facilitate  water  transportation,  and  a  viaduct  over  the  Illinois  Central  track  adjoin- 
ing the  grounds,  to  give  greater  freedom  to  foot  and  carriage  passengers,  which,  it  is  thought,  might 
add  6,000  per  hour,  making  45,000,  a  still  inadequate  number.  Next,  an  independent  loop  at  each 
end  of  the  cable  line,  and  a  connection  between  the  State  Street  line  and  the  Park  would  add  8,000 
per  hour  during  two  hours  at  morning  and  evening 

These  changes,  producing  a  total  of  53,000  per  hour,  might  be  considered  as  an  approach  toward 
sufficiency;  but  it  is  obvious  that  the  slightest  accident  or  delay  in  any  branch  of  the  service,  a  blow 
on  the  lake,  a  rain,  a  breakdown  on  the  railway  or  a  "hitch"  in  the  cable  would  produce  an 
intolerable  delay  and  congestion.  The  system  must  be  so  varied,  so  pliable,  so  extensive  that  no 
one  or  two  failures  could  do  more  than  divert  the  travel  to  adjacent  routes. 

The  committee  then  proposes  elevating  the  Illinois  Central  tracks,  further  increasing  the 
facilities  for  loading  and  unloading  cars  at  both  ends  of  the  line,  establishing  a  "block  system"  of 
signals  so  as  to  allow  trains  safely  to  follow  each  other  at  intervals  of  two-and-a-half  minutes,  and 
providing  additional  cars  and  engines  to  make  these  additional  ways  available — all  at  a  cost  of 
$3,174,600.  This  would  increase  the  Illinois  Central  capacity  from  6,000  to  21,000,  and  the  total 
from  53,000  to  68  ooo  per  hour,  to  which  is  to  be  added  the  completion  of  the  "Alley  Elevated  Rail- 
road "  (now  nearly  finished)  with  a  possible  capacity  of  20,000  per  hour,  making  a  maximum  grand 
total  of  88,000.  These  improvements  would  place  the  supposed  maximum  number  of  visitors  in  one 
day  (400,000  or  less)  at  the  Fair  gates  in  about  five  hours  and  remove  them  in  a  similar  length  of  time. 

Meanwhile  the  "movable  sidewalk"  proposes,  at  small  expense,  to  do  the  same  service,  or 
any  part  of  it,  from  any  distance  in  any  direction,  with  equal  speed  and  greater  personal  conven- 
ience; at  a  minimum  cost  per  passenger.  This  mode  of  transportation  is  already  (1891)  on  exhibition 
on  the  Fair  grounds,  where  passengers  are  daily  transported  over  an  elevated  track,  very  much  to 
their  satisfaction. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


ON  NEW-YEAR'S  DAY,  1892. 

H ICAGO  during  its  civic  life  hitherto  has 
been  pretty  nearly  "all  work  and  no  play," 
and  (the  world  is  prone  to  say)  has  not 
escaped  the  fate  proposed  for  that  state 
of  things  by  the  old  proverb.  Especially 
since  the  Fire  have  men  kept  their  noses 
to  the  grindstone  until  they  have  grown 
too  sharp  for  beauty.  The  lawyer,  in  all 
companies,  is  prone  to  think  and  talk  law, 
the  doctor  to  talk  physic,  the  merchant  to 
talk  merchandize,  the  Board  of 
man  to  talk  trades,  the  real  estate  dealer 
to  talk  lands  and  lots,  the  manufacturer 
to  talk  wages,  tariffs  and  patent  devices. 
There  is  no  company  where  the  word 
"dollars  "may  not  be  overheard.  Ethics 
and  aesthetics  are  alike  out  of  the  question 
to  men  working,  working,  working,  early 
and  late,  in  storm  and  calm,  in  good  times 
and  bad,  from  youth  to  old  age.  Leisurely 
quiet  does  not  exist  in  Chicago  even  for  men  in  a  position  to  command 


Chica 

Trade   bus 


PRAIRIE  AVENUE. 


it,  for  excess  of  work,  like  any  other  excess,  perpetuates  itself  by  becom- 
ing a  fixed  habit,  a  second  nature.   Men  enjoy  their  work  and  its  results 


437 


438 


THE  STORY   OF   CHICAGO. 


The  idle  man 
lonely  man. 


to  the  exclusion  of  other  enjoyment.  Then,  too,  by  reason  of  their 
strength  and  wealth,  combined  with  many  fine  qualities,  the  leaders  make 
working  the  custom  and  fashion,  so  that  the  non-worker  is  exceptional, 
lonely,  out-of-place.  He  is  tempted  to  depart  for  some  spot  where  he 
can  find  others  of  his  kind.  Unfortunately  this  isolation  spreads  even 
to  some  workers,  namely,  those  whose  work  is  not  money-making.  The 
student,  the  artist,  the  writer,  is  only  in  very  late  years  beginning  to 
find  an  element  in  which  he  can  breathe  and  thrive. 

So  high  is  the  standard  of  personal  achievement  under  these  stim- 
ulating influences  that  the    man  who    merely  "does  his  duty"  is  left 


Doing  only 
one's  duty  is 
not  enough. 


GRANT  MONUMENT  IN  LINCOLN  PARK. 


behind  by  men  who  do  more:  who  reach  out  for  new  duties  and  obliga- 
tions, who  are  insatiable  for  work,  who  are  always  learning  and  always 
inventing;  whose  memory  is  perfect  and  whose  judgement  and  foresight 
are  unfailing;  who  know  on  the  instant  what  to  do  and  what  not  to  do. 
In  the  hands  of  such  men  the  conduct  of  business  rises  to  a  science, 
and  its  devotees  show  all  the  enthusiasm  which  characterizes  the  pursuit 
of  science.  They  are  the  Humbolts,  Darwins,  of  commerce,  manufact- 
ures and  the  professions. 

Many  will  see  in  this  devotion  to  labor  no  beauty  or  praiseworthi- 
ness,  but  if  they  look  below  the  surface  of  things  they  discover,  in  the 


ON  NE  W-  YEAR'S  DA  Y,  1892. 


439 


first  place,  a  good  reason  for  it  in  the  engulfing  Fire  that  swamped  the 

community   under  a  load  of  debt  such  as  was  probably  never  before 

borne  by  men;  and,  in  the  second  place,  a  good  result  of  it,  in  that  the 

debts  are  essentially  paid  off,  principal  and  interest,  and  a  splendid  new  Th«be»utyof 

city  built  on  the  ruins  of  the  shabby  old  one — all  by  hard  work.     Then, 

too,  the  aspect  of  these   over-tasked  men  is  a  standing  refutation  of 

the  notion  that   profitable  labor,  well-paid  toil  (although  excessive)  is 

depressing.     They  are  bright  in  their  way,  and  gay  even  to  hilarity.    It 

is  not  the  gayety  of  Regent  Street,  the  Boulevards,  or  Monte  Carlo,  but 

it  is  the  better  (though  less  polished)  exuberance  of  the  fresh  West. 


it-paying, 
peace  and 
plenty. 


POTTER  PALMER'S  RESIDENCE  ON  LAKE-SHORE  DRIVE. 

The  whole  region  believes  that  the  fiat,  "In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt 
thou  eat  bread,"  is  not  a  curse  but  a  blessing,  and  it  acts  on  the  belief. 
To  the  honest  worker  debt  is  not  a  natural,  inevitable  and  contin- 
uous evil;  "duns"  are  not  beings  of  a  lower  order,  nuisances  to  be  fought  Debl_piiyi 
off  by  locked  doors  and  ingenious  evasions.  That  view  is  reserved  to 
the  "  hieher  civilization  " — save  the  mark  !  To  him  his  creditors  are 

O 

friends  who  have  trusted  him  and  whom  he  is  glad  to  seek  that  he  may 
render  them  their  own  and  so  relieve  himself  of  a  burden  of  obligation. 
What  is  the  result  where  all  men  work  ?  Peace  and  Plenty,  and  an 
assimilating  of  the  conditions  of  life  between  the  rich  and  the  not  rich. 
America  is  not  (and  never  will  be  while  present  conditions  obtain)  on 


440 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Suppose  labor 
were  excep- 
tional. 


Effect  of 
success  not 
all  good. 


the  "  ragged  edge  "  of  possibility  of  want.  Suppose,  instead  of  a  com- 
munity of  universal  work,  ours  were  one  where  there  were  an  Imperial 
Court  and  nobility  doing  no  productive  labor,  a  huge  army,  navy  and 
police,  an  innumerable  corps  of  thieving  officials,  a  horde  of  blood-suck- 
ing tax-gatherers,  and  almost  worst  of  all,  a  black  swarm  of  priestly 
drones,  to  add  spiritual  bondage  to  the  temporal  slavery — all  engaged 
in  the  self-profitable  task  of  governing  the  real  workers  !  Then  would 
famine  be  possible  in  America  as  it  is  in  Russia,  a  land  having  a  climate 

as  varied  and  favorable 
and  a  soil  as  produc- 
tive as  ours. 

Chicago  is  typical  of 
the  West;  showing  how 
hard  men  work  when 
they  are  free  to  work, 
and  how  strong  and 
supple  their  muscles 
and  minds  grow  by  use 
in  their  self-imposed 
tasks.  At  the  same 
time  the  result  of  this 
strenuous  devotion  to 
"the  main  chance"  is 
not  all  good  in  its  effect 
on  character.  While 
some  men  seem  to 
grow  to  broader  hor- 
izons by  climbing, 
others  seem  to  be 
darkened  by  delving. 
The  truly  great  man 
finds  in  his  riches  glor- 
ious means  for  public 
benefaction;  the  little 
soul  sees  in  money  only 
MRS.  POTTER  PALMER.  the  means  for  making 

more  money.  One  newly  rich  will  appear  unpleasantly  conscious 
of  his  wealth,  another  not  less  unpleasantly  unconscious  of  his.  The 
latter  goes  on  in  his  old  economies;  he  does  not  feel  his  millions,  and 
his  followers  observe  with  a  quiet  smile  "  he  hasn't  heard  the  news  yet." 
Avoiding  personal  eulogy,  it  may  be  said  that  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting developments  of  modern  Chicago,  especially  in  connection  with 


ON  NEW-  YEAR'S  DA  >',  1892. 


44' 


the  Women's  Department  in  the  Columbian  Exposition,  is  the  energy, 
enterprise,  ability — even  brilliancy — which  the  gentler  sex  displays  on 
being  brought  into  situations  of  unaccustomed  and  unexpected  public 
service.  Women  endowed  with  fortune,  station  and  every  person al  Won>»»  ••>  & 

J  new  place. 

charm,  resist  the  impulse  which  would  keep  them  in  the  well-trodden 
road  of  fashion,  frivolity  and  self-indulgence,  and  startle  their  fellow- 
citizens  by  their  success  in  the  management  of  matters  long  thought  to 
be  beyond  their  scope,  mental  and  bodily.     It  is  pleasant  to  think  that 
this  is  a  natural  result  of  the  freedom  and  plenteousness  of  Western  life; 
that  the  present  proofs  of  force  and 
self-reliance  are  but  a  foretaste  of 
other  progress,  as  yet  scarcely 
dreamed  of,  even  by  the  long-time 
advocates    of  "Women's    Rights." 
As  the  better  half  of  mankind  grows 
stronger,  the  stronger  half  must  be 
bettered,  in  ways  uncountable. 

The  religious  growth  of  Chicago 
has  gone  on  with  its  material  in- 
crease, and  if  not  in  full  proportion 
to  it,  at  least  as  nearly  so  as  is  the 
case  in    other  great    cities.      The 
church-goers  are  still  the  leaders  in 
society  and  in  business,  as  well  as  in 
morality,  philanthropy  and  general 
good  citizenship.      Toleration  and 
a  sense  of  the  brotherhood  of  all 
grows  everywhere  in  the  Christian  world,  in  Chicago  as  fast  as  elsewhere, 
and  perhaps  faster.     No  man  is  smiled  or  frowned  upon  because  of  his 
belief  or  unbelief.      Each  is  judged  by  his  acts  and  not  by  his  thoughts.  MenjudKed  by 
Under  the  influence  of  such  leaders,  the  standard  of  manly  conduct  in    Soul's.' 
Chicago  has  always  been  high,  and  dissipation,  though  not  unknown  or 
even  rare,  is  not  fashionable  or  reputable. 

A  sign  of  the  times  may,  perhaps,  be  observed,  by  whomsoever  will, 
in  two  late  ecclesiastical  trials  for  heresy,  their  result  and  their  conse- 
quences.    The  first  case  was  that  of  the  Rev.  David  Swing,  long  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  brightest  lights  in  the  Presbyterian  Church ;  the 
second,  that  of  the  Rev.  Hiram  W.  Thomas,  who  held  a  similar  eminence  Eccicsia,lica, 
in  the  Methodist  Church.     The  former  resulted  in  acquittal,  but  after  it 
Mr.  Swing  voluntarily  withdrew  from  his  denominational  connection. 
In  Dr.  Thomas'  case  the  decision- of  the  court  was  adverse,  and  he  was 
expelled  from  the  Methodist  Church.     Both  ministers  had  enthusiastic 


MISS  FRANCES  WILLARD,  President  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U. 


442 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Two  creedless 
churches. 


adherents — in  fact,  their  powers,  virtues  and  personal  charm  were  undis- 
putable,  even  by  those  who  differed  from  their  views — and  in  each  case 
a  new  path  was  stfuck  out;  each  clergyman  established  a  creedless 


WOMEN'S  CHRISTIAN  TEMPERANCE  UNION  BUILDING. 

church  of  his  own,  and  disregarding  the  traditions  of  form  as  well  as  of 
doctrine,  called  his  people  together,  not  in  a  building  set  apart  for 
church  purposes,  but  in  one  of  the  common  meeting-places  of  men. 


ON  NEW-YEAR'S  DA  Y,  1892. 

Mr.  Swing's  people  selected  Central  Music  Hall,  then  the  largest 
audience-room  in  Chicago,  and  engaged  it  permanently  for  Sunday  use, 
and  now  (1891)  for  fifteen  years  there  has  gathered  at  that  place,  weekly,  ce«™i church, 
a  great  audience  of  devout  and  earnest  worshipers,  who  listen  with  rapt 
attention  to  discourses  of  deep  thought,  broad  sympathy,  fervent  piety, 
and  shrewd  common  sense ;  all  framed  in  language  eloquent,  poetic  and 
appropriate.  To  hear  Mr.  Swing  is  one  of  the  prized  privileges  of  the 
Chicagoan,  churchman  or  not ;  and  strangers  flock  into  the  vast,  free 
audience-hall  to  be  delighted  and  to  carry  away  new  ideas  of  the  possi- 
bilities of  future  freedom  of  thought  and  hope. 

Dr.  Thomas'  meeting  (called  the  People's  Church)  began  by  using 
Hooley's  theatre,  but  later  took  a  permanent  Sunday  lease  of  McVick- 
er's,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  city;  and  there  Dr.  Thomas  has  drawn Peopie-schurch 
audiences  similar  in  size  and  character  to  those  of  Mr.  Swing,  and  exer- 
cised the  same  broad  and  broadening  influence. 

Another  "  sign  of  the  times  "  was  the  breaking  up,  in  1 884,  of  a  long 
continued  and  disgraceful  course  of  "manipulation"  of  election  returns. 
The  case  in  point  was  an  outrage  perpetrated  by  Joseph  Mackin  and 
some  associates  in  stealing  a  ballot-box  with  its  ballots,  election  returns, 
etc.,  and  first  substituting  false  returns  ;  and,  when  it  was  evident  that 
the  ballots  would  be  overhauled,  causing  an  entire  set  of  false  ballots  to 
be  printed  and  put  in  place  of  those  originally  cast.  The  fraud  was 
attempted  in  favor  of  the  Democratic  party,  but  the  committee  of  citi- 
zens which  unearthed  it  was  composed  of  men  of  both  parties,  working 
together  for  public  good ;  among  them  an  honored  Chicago  resident 
since  appointed  by  President  Cleveland  to  the  Chief-Justiceship  of  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court.  The  committee  was  composed  of  E.  Nelson 
Blake,  A.  A.  Carpenter,  Melville  E.  Stone,  General  Isaac  N.  Stiles, 
Edwin  Lee  Brown,  Albert  M.  Day,  Edward  F.  Cragin,  Erskine  M. 
Phelps,  Melville  W.  Fuller  and  others.  The  democratic  representative 
who  had  been  returned  by  the  help  of  the  forgeries  promptly  resigned,  Non-parti»n 
and  his  opponent  took  his  place  in  the  State  legislature  ;  a  proceeding  ^ff^ 
which  resulted  in  the  return  of  General  John  A.  Logan  to  the  U.  S.  [™^werc 
Senate,  to  prevent  which  the  whole  plot  had  been  hatched.  The  con- 
spirators were  convicted  and  punished,  and  no  election  fraud  of  that 
kind  has  since  been  attempted.  The  "Australian  ballot  system," 
adopted  in  1890,  seems  likely  to  add  to  the  safety  and  purity  of  the 
ballot-box  for  the  future.  The  problem  of  popular  government  in  great 
cities  is  not  yet  solved;  but  there  are  signs  of  the  existence  in  Chicago 
of  a  body  of  voters  independent,  in  municipal  matters,  of  party  ties, 
who  will  influence  nominations  for  office,  not  by  engaging  in  the  caucus, 


444 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


MASONIC  TEMPLE,  NORTHEAST  CORNER  OF  STATE  AND  RANDOLPH  STREETS. 

Approximate  cost,  $2,000,000;  height  to  cornice,  226  feet;  height  to  ridge,  269  feet;  height  to 
top  of  skylight,  305  feet;  dimensions,  170  feet  on  State  Street,  113  feet  on  Randolph  Street.  Number 
of  stores,  47 — first  to  ninth  story,  inclusive.  Number  of  offices,  250— tenth  to  sixteenth  story, 
inclusive.  Commandery  and  Consistory,  eighteenth  floor;  Masonic  rooms,  toilet  rooms  and  barber 
shop,  nineteenth  floor;  cafe  in  basement. 


»riner- 


ON  NEW-YEAR'S  DAY,    1893. 

but  by  making  its  efforts  fruitless,  when  they  result  in  the  selection  of 
unworthy  candidates,  through  the  defeat  of  such  candidates  at  the  polls. 
While  on  the  subject  of  corruption  in  high  places,  it  should  be 
observed  that  no  rich  man  in  Chicago  can  be  pointed  out  as  having 
made  his  fortune  by  his  connection  with  "politics,"  National,  State  or 
City,  or  by  any  dealings  with  the  civic  government.*  The  fierce  glare 
of  partisan  strife,  as  refracted  through  an  almost  unbridled  public  press, 

'  No  Chicago 

has  at  least  this  saving  grace  ;    that,  while  subjecting  to  general  view   (^""a 
much  that  should  be  sacred  privacy,  it  also  makes  nearly  impossible  any   pTJndcr. 
underhanded  plotting  for  nefarious  purposes.      No  "  Tweed  ring"  has 
ever  existed,  or  can  exist,  in  Chicago.     This  is  partly  because  the  prying 
eyes  of  press  and  public  are  always  on  the  watch  to  turn  any  crimes, 
arising  in  one  political  party,  to  the  advantage  of  the  other,  and  partly 
because  New  York  has  passed  through  the  trial  and  come  out  trium- 
phant.    Chicago  (in  spite  of  frequent  tiffs  and  hard  words)  looks  on  Ncn,caeo-8 
New  York  as  her  elder  sister  in  blood-relationship,  her  senior  partner   •      enior 
in  business,  and  her  benefactor  in  time  of  dire  distress;  and  is  ready  and   p» 
willing  to  learn,  thankfully,  whatever  the  elder  municipality  may  teach  — 
either  by  example  or  by  warning. 

Passing  from  moral  to  material  characteristics,  the  practical  city  is 
scarcely  (as  yet)  the  ideal  abode  of  elegance  and  ease.  The  old  resi- 
dent, unforgetting  of  the  days  when  the  air  was  pure  and  liquid  mud 
spurted  up  between  the  planks  in  Lake  Street,  thinks  that  the  pave- 
ments are  now  quite  respectably  kept,  but  that  the  smoke-laden  atmos- 
phere is  intolerable  ;  while  the  visiting  Londoner,  on  the  contrary,  would 
say  that  the  air  is  very  fair,  but  the  mud  disgraceful.  It  all  depends  on 
the  standard  and  point  of  view.  Both  nuisances  are  bad,  and  both  can 
be,  will  be  and  are  being  abated.  The  smoke  evil  springs  from  one  of 
the  chief  commercial  advantages  of  the  situation,  namely,  the  abundance 
and  cheapness  of  coal.  This,  it  is  needless  to  say,  is  the  very  foundation 
of  all  prosperity  springing  from  the  use  of  machinery,  as  well  as  an 
inestimable  blessing  to  the  wage-earners  in  their  daily  home-lives.  True, 
nature  might  have  made  the  immense  coal-beds  of  Illinois  a  little  purer 

&  .  .  .  Smoke,  dim 

in  quality  while  showing  such    lavishness  as  to  quantity;  but  no  one   and  mud. 
place  can  have  every  conceivable  blessing  —  not  even  Chicago.     Care 
and  pains,  the  stern  administration  of  law  and  lavish  use  of  money,  may 
mitigate  the  smoke-evil;  though  London,  Manchester,  Leeds  and  Bir- 
mingham have  not  yet  cured  it.     The  most  efficient  means  of  reform 

•On  the  other  hand,  much  wrong  may  be  done  by  corruption  whereby  the  corrupted  public  servant  profits  but 
little,  while  the  corrupting  outsider  profits  hugely.  The  charge  is  freely  made  that  the  legislative  branch  of  the  city 
government  is  hopelessly  corrupt;  that  even  legitimate  measures  for  public  good  can  not  be  passed  without  a  lavish  use 
of  money  and  that  franchises  of  fabulous  value  are  constantly  and  thamelessly  bartered  away.  Meanwhile,  men  in 
general  are  looking  for  .ome  Messiah  to  arise,  who  will  clear  out  the  temple  with  a  knotted  scourge-but  each  man  ii 
individually  "  too  busy  "  to  stir  in  the  matter. 


446  THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

will  be  found  in  the  removal  of  the  stock-yards  and  other  great  smoke- 
producing  industries  to  more  distant  location  (not  to  windward,  that  is 
southwest,  where  they  now  are)  ;  then  the  use  of  anthracite  coal,  coke, 
etCi>  may  De  f°rced  upon  railway  engines  and  river  tugs,  and  so  finally 
the  main  city  be  lightened  of  its  prevalent  pall,  and  the  fine  goods  now 
ruined  by  millions  of  dollars'  worth  every  year,  be  saved  for  their  more 
legitimate  kind  of  use.  The  mud  is  merely  a  matter  of  "wasteful  econ- 
omy." The  street-cleaning  must  be  brought  up  to  a  higher  standard,  and 
that  promptly.  The  prevailing  prairie  breeze,  blessing  though  it  be  on 
the  whole,  intensifies  the  curse  of  dust  which  dominates  the  city.  The 
profuse  spread  of  literature  (such  as  it  is)  seems  typified  by  the  wild 
whirl  of  waste-paper-scraps  which  disfigure  the  streets.  They  come  in 
clouds  from  the  alleys  where  they  have  been  deposited  with  other  sweep- 
ings, and  whence  the  scavenger-carts  would  remove  them  if  they  would 
only  stay  to  be  removed,  instead  of  taking  to  themselves  wings  and  riot- 
ing in  freedom.  If  it  were  made  a  part  of  good  housekeeping  to  burn 
all  waste  paper,  a  great  nuisance  would  suddenly  abate. 

As  to  the  care  of  the  more  solid  waste  matter,  that  only  needs  larger 

Money  growing 

pkmy.  appropriations,  and  better  scrutiny  of  the  manner  in  which  they  are 
expended.  Now  that  the  Fire-damages  are  practically  repaired  and  the 
liabilities  for  parks  and  boulevards  discharged,  there  will  be,  or  should 
be,  abundant  means  to  spare  for  the  more  ornamental  uses  of  money. 
Business  first  and  pleasure  afterward.  The  best  use  for  money  is  to  pay 
debts  with  it ;  the  next  best,  perhaps,  to  beautify  the  home. 

Chicago,  while  preserving  many  of  the  excellent  characteristics  of 
youth,  has  some  village  habits  that  sit  upon  her  like  a  child's  clothes  on 
a  grown  person.  Horses  are  left  tied  and  untended  even  in  the  crowded 
business  streets,  and  often  are  to  be  seen  feeding  at  the  curbstone. 
Vehicles  stand  idly  for  hours  beside  thronged  thoroughfares.  Others 
v'cha«acter-  are  backed  up  to  sidewalks,  projecting  so  far  into  the  street  that  passage 
is  seriously  impeded  and  sometimes  quite  blocked.  Cases  may  daily  be 
observed  where  drivers,  finding  the  edge  of  the  street  occupied,  station 
their  vehicles  near  its  middle,  awaiting  their  turn  at  the  sidewalk  and  at 
the  same  time  preventing  the  proper  use  of  the  roadway.  It  would  prob- 
ably be  a  new  idea  to  most  Chicago  horse-owners  were  they  told  that 
they  have  no  right  to  keep  a  vehicle  standing  (longer  than  absolutely 
required  for  loading  or  unloading  its  passengers  or  freight)  even  at 
their  own  front  doors.  Yet  such  is  the  common  law.  The  street  is  only 
for  passage,  not  for  storage.  Every  man  may  have  a  privilege — not  a 
right — to  occupy  the  space  at  his  own  door  or  elsewhere,  when  his  doing 
so  does  not  interfere  with  the  legitimate  use  of  the  street,  which  is  simply 
for  passing  to  and  fro.  "  Move  on  "  is  a  lawful  command  at  all  times  in 
the  "  public  highway." 


ON  NEW-YEAR'S  DA  Y,  1892. 


447 


The  sidewalks  are  used  for  storage  and  handling-places  to  an 
unreasonable  degree;  while  there  (as  in  the  street)  the  articles  and 
their  movers  have  no  rights  except  the  right  of  prompt  passage. 

Then,  too,  the  notion  prevails  that  the  street  railways  have  a  better 
claim  to  the  space  between  their  rails  than  have  other  persons,  and  that 
at  street  crossings  and  elsewhere  the  street  cars  must  be  given  the  first 
chance.  This  is  a  mistake  ;  the  streets  belong  to  all  alike,  and  it  is  only 
wanton  and  needless  obstruction  which  can  be  punished. 

The  gay  good-nature  with  which  these  infringements  of  popular 
rights  are  submitted  to  is  a  trait  of  Chicago  character.  "  It's  all  for  the 
good  of  trade  "  is  the  feeling  and  the  saying,  and  so  trade  dominates 
and  imposes  on  individual  comfort  and  convenience.  This  toleration 
looks  foolish  and  provincial  to  a  stranger,  and,  what  is  more  important, 
tends  to  encourage,  perpetuate  and 
increase  the  wrong.  If,  suddenly, 
by  some  miracle,  the  "law  of  the 
road"  were  made  universally  oper- 
ative in  Chicago,  perhaps  a  tenth  of 
all  the  public  would  feel  as  if  their 
rights  were  taken  away,  while  in  fact 
it  would  be  only  a  tardy  restoration 
of  rights  to  the  other  nine-tenths. 
It  is  a  pleasant  fact  that  in  Chicago, 
a  woman,  especially  if  she  be  old, 
or  burdened,  or  in  any  way  infirm, 
is  sure  in  a  crowded  street-car  tohave 
a  seat  offered  her  by  any  man  who 
has  one  to  offer  ;  but  this  custom 
works  in  favor  of  the  owners  and 
operators  of  the  street  cars,  who  de- 
liberately plan  and  arrange  to  have 
their  vehicles  overcrowded,  by  running  a  number  insufficient  to  seat  all 
the  persons  who  pay  for  using  them.  Great  profits  are  thus  gained. 

One  often  sees  every  seat  in  a  car  occupied  by  women,  while  every 
foot  of  standing  room  is  filled  by  men,  holding  on  to  straps,  dependent 
from  the  roof,  and  kindly  furnished  for  their  accommodation.  Innumer- 
able persons,  using  the  cars  at  the  most  crowded  times,  scarcely  expect 
ever  to  be  allowed  to  enjoy  the  seat  they  have  paid  for.* 

So  it  comes  about  that  not  only  foreigners  but  Chicagoans  who 
have  traveled  abroad  (and  almost  every  one  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances has  done  so,  once  or  oftener)  feels  that  the  city  is,  after  all,  only 

*  In  Chicago,  men  RettinR  on  or  off  a  ftreet  car  rarely  brin*  it  to  a  full  stop. 


Patience  under 


FRANKLIN  MACVEAGH. 


given  up  to 
women. 


448 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


•What's  all 

this?" 


a  great,  overgrown,  smiling  village,  that  does  not  even  now  "  take  itself 
seriously."  It  seems  like  "a  young  giant,  refreshed  with  new  wine,"  or 
a  budding  girl,  not  yet  used  to  being  gazed  at.  The  hundreds  whose 
birth  antedates  the  incorporation  (1837)  can  scarcely  greet  each  other 
without  a  smile  that  seems  to  ask,  "Why,  what's  all  this?"  Well,  "all 
this"  is  simply  a  glorious  opportunity  to  establish  order,  cleanliness 
and  that  good  government  under  which  each  must  use  his  own  without 
injuring  another;  to  frown  upon  impositions  instead  of  smiling  at  them; 
to  enjoy  good  fortune  with  manly  reticence  instead  of  childish  exuber- 
ance ;  in  short,  to  preserve  every  good  and  pleasant  trait,  while  doing 

away  with  the  others. 

The  over-crowding  of  the  streets 
themselves  (in  spite  of  their  unusual 
breadth)  is  a  terrible  and  growing 
evil,  fostered  by  the  extravagant 
height  to  which  buildings  have  be- 
gun to  be  carried.  One  of  the  man- 
ifestations of  thrift  in  the  "thrifty 
eighties"  is  the  making  more  use  of 
a  given  number  of  superficial  square 
feet  of  the  earth's  surface  than 
has  ever  been  achieved  at  any  other 
time  or  place.  Beginning  with  the 
"Montauk  Block"  of  ten  stories, 
and  going  on  step  by  step  to  the 
"  Masonic  Temple  "  with  nineteen, 
the  art  of  building  made  a  great 
CYRUS  H.  MccoRMicK.  advance  in  that  decade,  and  what 

may  be  called  a  new  style  of  civic  architecture    has    been    instituted, 
whereby  inordinate  height  is  shown  to  be  not  incompatible  with  a  certain 
stately  beauty.    But  when  a  house  is  so  spacious  that  the  length  of  street 
over-crowding  'in  front  °f  it  can  not  contain  its  occupants,  there  comes  a  dead-lock.     It 
aris?ngcfrom  is  easy  to  say,  "Let  them  spread  out  in  front  of  their  neighbors'  houses," 
of  houses,      but  suppose  the  neighbors  also  to  have  built  "  sky-scrapers,"  what  then  ? 
In  a  city  or  even  a  street  of  such  edifices  the  inhabitants  would  be  com- 
pelled to  use  the  street  in  turn,  for  it  is  a  physical  impossibility  for  all 
to  be  abroad  at  once.     It  seems  manifest  that  a  limit  must  be  set  to  the 
height  of  buildings  ;  whether  by  the  London  plan  of  proportioning  them 
to  the  width  of  the  street  in  front  of  them,  or  by  some  other  standard 
of  restriction.     As  in  all  the  other  interferences  of  statute  with  personal 
conduct,  public  good  must  prevail  over  private  greed.      It  will  be  diffi- 
cult, seeing   that  the  ability  to   make  so  much    use  of  well-placed  lots 


ON  NEW-YEAR'S  DAY,  1893. 


449 


•THE  CHICAGO  CONSTRUCTION."    A  FRAME  THAT  HOLDS  UP  THE  WALLS. 


450 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


John  W.  Root 
and  the 
Chicago 
construction. 


has  enhanced  their  value  to  something  very  near  the  prices  prevalent  in 

the  Heart  of  London  !  But,  how- 
ever difficult,  it  is  necessary,  and 
in  such  a  case  Chicago  takes  no 
account  of  obstacles. 

The  "  Chicago  construction  " 
is  not  the  invention  of  any  one 
mind,  but  it  is  probably  due  more 
to  the  genius  of  the  late  lamented 
John  W.  Root  than  to  that  of  any 
other  person.  He  first  devised  the 
system  whereby  the  weight  of  the 
structure  is  spread  over  the  whole 
of  the  ground  it  covers,  instead  of 
being  carried  by  walls  alone.  In 
the  Montauk  Block  he  used  the 
plan  of  laying  iron  or  steel  beams 
side  by  side,  and  crossed  at  right 
angles  by  other  similar  beams,  over 
the  entire  surface  to  be  built  upon,  and  then  imbedding  the  whole 
mighty  mass  in  cement.  On  this  impregnable  base  is  placed  the  super- 


JOHN  WELBORN   ROOT. 


COOK    COUNTY   HOSPITAL.  HARRISON"  STREET. 


structure,  several  series  of  columns  in  orderly  array,  forming  the  walls 
and  carrying  the  floors  of  every  apartment  in  the  structure.  To  this  the 
outside  shell  or  covering  is  merely  an  addition  ;  the  frame  carries  the 


OAr  NEU'-YEAK'S  DAY,    1892.  45i 

walls  instead  of  being  carried  by  them  as  of  old.  The  towering  Masonic 
Temple  is  the  final  work  of  Mr.  Root's  short  but  crowded  and  brilliant 
career;  having  been  begun  and  finished  according  to  his  plans,  but  after 
his  untimely  death. 

In  dwelling  upon    the   growth  of  Chicago  the  historian  is  prone 
to   treat    it  as  if    it    had   arrived  at    its   acme;    forgetting  that   every  E£|}  1;<'°tri™ 
past  chronicler  has  done  the  same,  and  been  belittled  by  later  progress.    p"*fCfSMt- 
Mr.  Balestier  in  his  paper  read  before  the  "Lyceum"  in  1840,  when  the 
population  had  reached  the  proud  eminence  of  4,479,  exults  thus: 

"Chicago  has  sprung,  as  it  were,  from  the  very  mire,  and  assumed 
the  aspect  of  a  populous  city.  .  .  .  The  memory  is  at  fault  when 
it  attempts  to  keep  pace  with  this  rapid  progression.  Well  may  we 
rejoice  in  a  result  so  glorious !  No  curiosity  is  excited  by  the  advent  of 
a  schooner,  and  even  the  vapor-driven  monsters  which  frequent  our 
harbor  have  ceased  to  call  forth  our  wonder!" 

Such  enthusiasm  as  Mr.  Balestier's  in  1840,  Gov.  Bross's  in  1856, 
and  in  fact,  everybody's  who  has  successively  treated  the  subject,  com- 
pels a  smile  as  one  looks  back  upon  it ;  and  he  is  likely  to  forget  that 
his  own  observations  will  be  no  less  amusing  to  the  writers  who  shall 
come  later.  Yet  he  has  always  the  comforting  thought  that  each  laugher 
in  turn,  through  a  long  series,  will  furnish  amusement  to  those  who  fol- 
low him,  even  as  the  annalist  of  1840  is  smiled  at  by  him  of  1891. 

PROF.  COLBERT'S  FIGURES  OF  40  YEARS'  PROGRESS  IN  MANUFACTURES  AND  WHOLESALE  TRADE, 

CHICAGO  TRIBUNE,  JANUARY  1, 1892. 


1850 $      20,000,000 

1860 97,000,000 

1868 310,000,000 

1869 336,000000 

1870 377,000.000 

1873 514,000,000 

1874 575,000,000 

1875 566,000,000 


1876 $    587,000,000 

1877 595,000,000 

1878 650,000,000 

1879 764,000,000 

1880 900,000,000 

1881 1,015,000,000 

1882 1,045,000,000 

1883 '1,050,000,000 


1884 $    933,000,000 

1885 959,000,000 

1886 997,0(i(l,000 

1887  1,103.000,000 

1888 1,125.000000 

1889 1,177.000.000 

1890  1,380,000,000 

1891 1,459,000.000 


Time  and  space  are  not  adequate  to  the  presenting  of  anything  like 
a  complete  sketch  of  the  present  greatness  of  Chicago.  Fortunately 
this  is  not  a  report,  a  compendium  or  a  guide  book  ;  it  is  merely  a 
story,  and  at  best  can  only,  by  a  touch  here  and  there,  indicate  the 
ascending  steps,  leaps  and  bounds  by  which  the  fair  city  has  advanced  ;on«i 
not  portray  or  depict  the  wonderful  result.  Onward  and  upward  she 
climbs.  On  the  shining  height,  the  point  which  was  her  goal  yesterday 
is  her  starting-place  to-day,  and  to-morrow  will  be  far  behind  her,  a  mere 
study  for  her  future  historian. 

FINIS. 


INDBX. 


Abbot.  Dr.,  67. 

Aborigines,  8. 

Abstracts  of  Title,  see  Real  Estate. 

Academy  of  Design,  346. 

Ackerman,  Wm.  K.,  171,  218,  222,  422. 

Aco,  Pierre,  25. 

Adams.  George  E.,  346,  7. 

J.  McGregor,  342,  374. 

Robert  D  ,  268. 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,346. 
Agramonte,  Capt.,  379. 
Albany,  "Journal,"  197. 

"Argus,  "302. 

Aldermen,  see  Municipal  Government. 
Algonquins,  8. 
Allen,  G.  W.,  422. 
Alton,  see  Railroads. 
American,  The,  181,  189. 

Fur  Company,  81,  93. 
Anarchist  Riot. 

"Alarm,  The,"  383. 

"  Appeal,  The,"  383. 

"  Arbeiter  Zeitung,"  383,  384,  386. 

Arrests,  386. 

Beginnings  of,  382. 

Bomb-throwing.  386. 

Clubs  formed,  383. 

Haymarket  meeting,  385. 

Incendiary  speeches,  385. 

McCormick  Reaper  Works  closed.  384. 

Police  sweep  the  square,  386. 

Short  hours  aimed  at   384 

Spies'  Address,  384. 

Trial  and  sentence,  386. 
Andersonville,  270. 

Andreas'. Hist,  of  Chicago.  32,  35,  39,  48,  50,  71, 
87, 89, 90, 96,  98, 99, 117,133. 144, 158,176, 
181,  183,  184,  185,  190,201,204,211,213, 
222,224.  242,  243,  244. 248, 250,  254, 260, 
267. 272,  283,  291, 331,  353 ,  364, 378, 405 
Andrews,  Alex.  B.,  422. 
St.  Ange  de  Bellerive,  25. 
Anti  slavery  movement,  see  Slavery. 
"Appeal"  (anarchist  organ),  383. 
"Arbeiter  Zeitung,"  383. 
Archer,  Col.,  112,  113. 
Archer's  Road  (Archer  avenue),  112. 
Arkansas.  25. 
Armour,  Geo.  A  ,  414. 

Jonathan  O.,  415. 

Joseph  F.,  414 

Philip  D.,  414,  415. 

Philip  D..  Jr.,  415. 
Armour  Mission,  414. 
Arnold.  General  Benedict,  34. 

Sir  Edwin,  433. 

Isaac  N.,  113,  146,  147.  155,  156,  184,  l!)t. 

232,  249.  306,  341,  343,  344,  374. 
Art  Institute,  346-7 
d'Artaguiette,  25. 
Ashby's  Gap,  268. 
Ashland  avenue,  see  Streets. 


Ashley,  Mrs.  Susan  R.,  428. 
Ashmun,  George,  259. 
Astor,  John  Jacob,  81-83. 
Astoria,  Irvine's.  83. 
Athenanim,  344-5. 
Atlanta,  Battle  of,  264. 
Atlantic  Ocean,  1-9. 
Austin,  4. 

Australian  Ballot  System,  443. 
A  very,  T.  M..  342-345. 
Ayer,  B.  F..  353. 
Aztecs,  7. 

B 

Bailey,  Jonathan  N.,  90-128. 
Baker,  Col.  E.  D.,  206. 

G.  P.,  242. 

Major,  85. 

W.  T.,  347-422. 
Balatka,  Hans.  364. 
Baldwin,  Col.  Silas  D.,  264. 
Balestier,  Joseph  N.,  16U,  161,  168,  451. 
Ballance,  84-85. 
Ballot-box  Frauds,  443. 
Baldwin.  Mr.,  334. 
Bangs,  Judge  Mark,  358. 
Banks  and  Banking 

Brokers,  242. 

Building  Associations,  354. 

Chicago  Savings,  242. 

Clearing  House  Certificates,  352. 

Collapse  Averted,  352. 

From  1836  to  1844,  242. 

Failures,  166. 
In  New  York,  245. 
In  '73,  3.r.2. 

Farmers  and  Mechanics.  242. 

Food  Products  as  a  Financial  Basis,  353. 

Illinois  Law,  247. 

Insurance  Payments,  357. 

Kane  County  Bank,  283. 

Marine,  283. 

Merchants'  Loan  &  Trust  Co.,  283,  406. 

National  System,  248 

Notes,  243-246. 

Payments  resumed  after  Fire,  351. 

Private  Banks,  243. 

Reaper  Bank,  283. 

Savings  Bank  Disaster,  353-354. 

Silverman's,  35C. 

State  Bank  Fails,  166. 

Union  National,  350. 

Vaults  in  the  Fire,  3.">0. 

War,  Support  offered,  260. 

Wildcat  Banks,  212. 
Bank  of  England  chartered,  25. 
Baptist  Indian  Missions,  History  of.  81. 
Barclay,  Commodore,  77. 
Haring  Brothers,  184. 
Barnes,  Lieut.-Col.,  264. 
Barnum  Brothers.  206. 
Barr.  Joseph  W.,  268 
Barry.  W..  343. 
Bascaut.  Pierre.  32. 
Bascom,  Rev.  Flavel,  224. 


454 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Bateham,  Wm.,  291. 
Bateman,  Kate  and  Ellen,  223. 
Bates,  Candidate  for  Presidency,  259. 

Edward,  198. 

Hon.  Geo.  C.,  95. 

John,  130,  181. 

John,  Jr.,  129. 
Batteries:  See  War. 
Beaubien,  Alexander,  99,  123. 

Frank  G.,  135. 

Henry,   123. 

Jean  Baptiste,  19,  65,  79,  86,  87,  89,  90, 
93,  95,  98,  99,  100,  108,  122,  127,  135, 
141,  157,  15». 

Mark,  100,  118,  135,  159. 

Philip,  123. 

Beauharnois,  Marquis  de,  32. 
Beaver  and  Beckwith,  213. 
Beaver  dams,  5,  12,  79. 
Bechstein,  Frederick,  268. 
Beckwith,  Hiram  W.,  90. 
Beckwith,  Judge,  232. 
Beem,  Gen.   Martin,  379. 
Beggs.  Rev.  Stephen  Ruddel,  105,  177. 
Belknap,  Gen.,  801. 
Bell,  Col.  Joseph  W.,  267. 

Lieut.,  378. 

Bellefontaine,  Mo.,  50. 
Bellows,  George  L.,  268. 
Bellows,  Dr.  Henry  W.,  271. 
Bentley,  Cyrus,  234,  345. 
Benton,  T.  H.,  195. 
Bentonville,  Battle  of,  265,  266. 
Bessemer  Steel  Invented,  25. 
Best,  Wm.,  867. 
Beveridge,  Col.  John  L.,  267. 
Bigelow,   Liberty,  251. 
Big  Foot,  Chief  of  Pottawatomies,  84. 
Bigford,  T.  J.,  333. 
Billings,  C.  K.  G.,  369. 
Bingham.  Henry  W.,  268. 
Bischoff,  Lieut.,  378. 
Bishop,  Henry  W.,  340,  414. 
Bissell,  C.  L.,  256. 
Bissell,  Wm.  H.,  218. 
Black,  Gen.  John  Charles,  264,  266,  :>47. 

J.  C.,  415. 

Blackbird,  Pottowatomie  Chief,  68. 
Black  Hawk,  Indian  Chief,  103,  104,  105,  132. 
Black  Hawk  War,  104. 
Black  Hole  of  Calcutta,  25. 
Black  Partridge,  12,  61,  68,  75,  76. 
Blackstone,  T.  B.,  414. 
Elaine,  Jas.  G.,  433. 
Blair,  C.  B.,  352. 

C.  J.,374. 

W   F    347 

Blake,  Capt/S.  S.,  Illinois,  225. 
E.  Nelson,  443. 
Herbert  M..  268. 

Blanchard,  Rufus,  80,  91,  113,  120,  206,  238. 
Blaney,  J.  V.  Z.,  343. 
Blatchford,  £.  W.,  345,  347,  409,  411,  414. 
Blaye,  Alexis,  32. 
Block  House,  62,  72,  80.  81. 

Unveiling  of  Tablet,  72. 
Blodgett,  Judge  Henry  W.,  132, 152,  167,  172,  188. 

Israel  P  ,  186.  187,  188. 
Blount.  Fred  M.,369. 
Blue  Licks,  Battle  of,  W. 
Board  of  Trade.  189,  352. 

Attitude  towards  currency,  283. 

Incorporated,  253. 

Innocent  Beginnings,  254. 


Board  of  Trade  Regiments,  256-7. 

Bogardus,  John  L. ,  97. 

Boisbriant,  25,  28. 

Bolton's  Battery,  See  War 

Bonfield,  Capt.  John.  379,  385. 

Bonnell,  J.  D.,157. 

Bonney.  C.  C.,  433. 

Boone,  Daniel,  36,  43,  44. 

Boston  Capital  in  Western  Roads,  183. 

Botsford,  jabez  K.,  211. 

Botsford,  Minerva,  342. 

Boulevards,  see  Park  System. 

Boutell,  L.  H.,358. 

Bowen,  James  H.,  261. 

Bowers,    "  Professor,"  141. 

Boyce,  L.  M.,234. 

Brackett,  Col.  Albert  G..  267. 

Braddock's  Defeat,  25. 

Bradley.  Cyrus  P.,  198,  207. 

Capt.  Hezekiah,  80,  85. 

Col.  Luther  P.,  264. 

Wm.  H..  374,  409. 

Brainard,  Dr.  Daniel.  131,  133,  147,  194,  223. 
Brand,  Alexander  &  Co.,  242. 
Bransart,  Laurent,  32. 
Brayman,  M.,  343. 
Breakwaters,  120. 
Breese.  Senator  Sidney,  197,  218. 
Brennan,  Sergt.,  378. 
Brice,  James,  433. 
Bridewell,  18 

Bridgeport  (Canalport),  113. 
Bridges,  Gen.  Lyman,  267. 
Bridges'  Batteries,  see  War. 
Bridges: 

Clark  Street,  120,  207,  210,  211. 

Dearborn  Street,  119,  120,  210. 

During  the  Flood,  2U7. 

First  Iron,  251,  252. 

Future  of,  211. 

Kinzie      ) 

Madison  \  Streets,  210. 

Wells        ) 

See  also  Ferries. 
Bristol,  R.  C.,  207. 
Bronson,  Arthur,  113,  144,  184. 
Brooks,  James,  195. 

Samuel,  134.  136,  137. 

Phillips,  433. 
Bross,  John  A.,  268. 

Ex-Gov.  William,  120,   133,  158,  214,  215, 

251-3,  270,  302.  330. 
Brown,  Edward  H.,268. 

Edwin  Lee,  443. 

Miss  H.  E.,  129. 

Judge  Henry,  57, 
ohn,  43,  249,  250. 

T.  D.,  345. 

William  H..  172,  216,  342,343. 
Bryan  Hall.  260,  270. 
Bryan.  Thomas  B  ,  261,   209,  270,  271,  345,  422, 

433. 

Bryant,  William  Cullen,  258. 
Buck,  Henry  A.,  268. 
Buckingham,  Ebenezer,  318,319. 
Buffalo,  3.  69,  74,  83. 
Building  Associations,  354. 
Buildings,  High,  448. 

Chicago  Construction,  450. 

Masonic  Temple,  444,  448. 

Montauk  Block,  448,450. 
Buildings.  Raising,  232-3. 
Bunker  Hill,  Battle  of,  25. 
Burch,  I.  H.,  241,  242. 


INDEX. 


455 


Bureau  River,  84. 

Gurdon  Hubbard's  Fur  Trade,  84. 

Jones'  Settlement,  187. 
Burgess,  Joseph  W.,  213. 
Burgoyne,  General,  25,  50. 
Burkhardt.  Henry  S  ,  369. 
Burlings,  Mrs.  Edwin  C.,  428. 
Burley,  Arthur  G  ,  173,  174,  176,  203. 

Augustus  H.,  173,  174,  176,  203. 
Burlingame,  A.,  195. 
Burnett,  William,  48,  81. 
Burnham,  D.  H.,  422. 
Burns,  John,  62. 
Burr,  Jonathan,  342,  343. 
Burying  Grounds. 

First  Public,  151,  181,  182. 

Graceland,  91,  141,  269. 

Lake  Front  Park,  80. 

Garrison  Cemetery  in  1816. 

Lincoln  Park,  91.  182,  276. 
Business,  devotion  to,  437-8. 
Butterfield,  Justin,  113,  155,  175,  184. 
Butterworth,  Benj.,  422,  483. 
Butler,  Charles,  144,  158. 

C 

Cadillac,  81. 
Cahokia,  37. 
Caldwell,  Billy  (Sauganash),  76,  77,  107,  123. 

Oscar,  243,  247. 
Calhoun.  Alvin.  207. 

John,  116,  130,  147,  169,  194. 

John  B.,219.  222,  244. 
California  Gold  Discovery,  25. 
Callahan,  Lieut.,  378. 
Cameron,  Col.  Daniel,  259.  265. 
Campbell  Park,  see  Park  System. 
Campbell,  T.  H.,  170. 

Win.  J.,  415. 
Canada.  15.  29 
Canal.  Illinois  and  Michigan,  80. 

Benefits  of,  185. 

Buffalo  united  with  New  Orleans,  83.  185. 

Canal  Scrip,  113,  185,  189. 

Canal  Time.  215. 

Cholera,  167. 

Commissioners.  114. 

Convention,  194,  199. 

Deepening,   280.     (See  Drainage.) 

Divided  Dominion,  Saved  from.  184. 

First  shipments,  185. 

Finished,  1848,  113. 

Inauguration,  112. 

Opened  1848.  189. 

Receipts  of,  201. 

River  and  Harbor  Bill,  192,  194. 

Subscriptions  for,  184. 

State  generosity,  327. 
Canning,  George,  56. 
Carnot,  Mme.,  430. 
Carpenter.  Mrs.  A.  E.,123. 

A.  A..  443. 

Benjamin,  274. 

Philo,  117,  125,  141.  221,  342. 
Carriages.  121,  141.  142. 
Cartier,  Admiral,  15. 
Car  works,  see  Pullman,  town  of. 
Cass,  Gen.  Lewis,  82,  83,  85,  89,  90,  225. 
Catlin,  Charles,  374. 
Caton   Chief   Justice    John  Dean.  11.  13.  19,  25, 

33,  51,  95,  108,  109,  121, 131.  133  137. 138, 
149  150,  152,  166,  171.  173,  190,  1!^,219, 
235.  291,  292,  311.  359. 

Mrs.  John  Dean,  138,  139. 


Cavelier,  Robert,  Sieurde  La  Salic.  8,  19-22.  25- 

27,30,  78,  114,  317. 
Cemeteries,  see  Burying  Grounds. 
Central  Boulevard,  see  Park  system. 
Central  Music  Hall,  413. 
Chain  of  Acquaintance,  from  first  explorer  to  the 

present  day,  25. 
Champlain,  15,  18 
Chancellorsville.  Battle  of,  265. 
Chandonnais,  73. 
Chapman.  Mrs.  Nancy,  211. 
Chappel,  Miss  Eliza,  123,  124. 
Charities: 

Armour  Mission,  414,  415. 

Athenieum,  344. 

t-'irst  General  Charity  Hospital,  223. 

Home  for  the  Friendless,  342. 

Illinois  Humane  Society,  345. 

John  Crerar's  Will,  413.' 

Nursery  and  Half-Orphan  Asylum,  842. 

Ogden,  Wm.  B.,  Bequests  of,  415. 

Old  Ladies'  Home.  342. 

Relief  Societies.  287,  298. 

Relief  and  Aid  Society.  299,  322,  341 ,  342. 

Supervision  after  the  Fire,  342. 

Women's  Christ'n  Temperance  Union,  345. 

Young  Men's  Christian  Assoc.,  270,  345. 
"  Charles  Howard."  252.  2K6 
Chart  showing  retirement  of  Niagara,  3. 
Chartres.  Fort,  15,  17,  25,  28,  29,  83,  33,  86. 
Chase,  Salmon  P.,  259. 

Bros.,  309. 

Chauvin,  Lady  Michelle,  32. 
Cherokees,  40. 

Chesapeake    American  frigate.  56. 
Chesbrough,  Ellis  S  ,  231,  274,  275. 
Chetlain,  Gen.  A.  L.,  262,  265. 
Chicago — 
Beginnings. 

Board  of  Trade  Established,  189. 

Canal  Established,  189. 

City  Charter,  154. 

Early  Amusements,  121,  189,  214. 
Customs  and  Courtesies,  88,  89. 
Hotels,  9(i.  97,  109,  110,  139,  174. 
First  Book  published,  189. 

Buildings  on  North  Side,  87 

Carriages,  121,  141,  142. 

Cemeteries,  80,  91,  151,  181,  1H2,  276. 

Census,  152. 

Chicago-built  Vessel,  153. 

County  Court  House,  158. 

Daily  Paper,  181. 

Drawbridge.  119. 

Ferries.  52,  97,  117,  118,  209. 

Fire-engines.  125,  152. 

Fire-proof   building,  173. 

Jail,   149. 

Laying  out  Town,  114,  117, 

Lighthouse,  141. 

Locomotive,  189. 

Meat  packed.  189. 

Newspapers,  116,  130,  189. 

Pound.   149. 

Propellor  launched,  1*~9. 

Protestant  sermon,  83. 

Railroad,   189. 

School  building,  189. 

Street  improvements,  255,  274.  276,  277. 

Telegram  received,  189. 

Theatre.  189. 

Vessel  on  River,  121,  1!)0,  189. 

Waterworks,  189. 

Wedding  of  note,  137. 


456 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


First  House  of  Business,  173,  174. 

Reaper  Factory  started,  189. 
Nationalities  in  Population,  403. 
Suburbs  annexed,  403. 
Transportation  Problem.  404. 
Chicago,  name  and  derivation. 
Checaugou,  8.  ' 
Chica-a-go,  92. 
Chicagou.  8,  9,  17,  25,  32,  47. 
Wild  onion,  leek  or  garlick. 
Chicagu,  8. 
Chicagua,  8,  32. 
Chicauga,  74. 
Chickahou,  8. 
Chikago,  50. 
Chikagou,  8. 
Chikagu,  8. 

Choc-cu-go  (destitute),  8. 
Eschikagou,  8,  25,  39. 
Gitchi  Kage. 
Shecaugo,  8. 
Shegahg,  8. 
She-gau-ga-winzhe,  8. 
American,  see  Newspapers. 
Bank,  242,  283. 

Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.,  see  railroads. 
Construction,  see  Buildings. 
Democrat,  see  Newspapers. 
Fire,  see  Fire  of  1871. 
Fire  and  Marine  Ins.  Co. ,242. 
Magazine,  see  Newspapers. 
River,  Fishing  in,  240. 
Impurity  of,  240,  280. 
Navigation,  237. 
Permanent  Improvement,  241. 
Skating  on,  139. 
Savings  Bank,  242. 
Chickamauga,  Battle  of,  264-267. 
Chickasaw  Indians,  32,  40. 
Childs.  Luther,  125. 
Childs,  Mr.,  Chicago  Engraver,  169. 
Chippewa  Indians,  8,  86,  111. 
Cholera  Scare,  131,  132,  176,  234,  235 
Christian,  Princess.  430. 
Church,  Thomas,  196. 
Churches. 

Baptist,  81,  126. 
Creedless,  442. 

Episcopal  (St.  James),  101,  127,  254. 
First  Baptist,  126. 
"     Congregational,  260. 
"     Methodist,  125,  126. 
"     Presbyterian,  124,  126. 
"     Universalist,  246. 
"  Father  Walker's  Log  Cabin,"  126. 
Lutheran,  406. 
Methodist,  125,  126 
Plymouth  Congregational,  260. 
Presbyterian  (cor.  Lake  and  Clark  streets), 

124,  136. 

Roman  Catholic  Cathedral,  120,  127. 
Second  Unitarian,  260. 
St.  James,  101,  127,  136,  254,  297. 
St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  Society,  127. 
Unity,  296,  330. 
Temple  Building,  126. 
Centres  of  Relief  after  the  Fire.  299. 
Thirty-nine  burned  in  Great  Fire,  335. 
Prof.  Swing,  441-3. 
Dr.  Thomas,  441-8. 

"  Clarissa,"  the  first  Chicago-built  Vessel,  153. 
Clark,  E.  R.,  236. 
Clark.  General  William,  103. 


Clark,  George  Rogers,  17,  25,  36.  37,  39,  40,  41, 
42,  43,  44,84,  114. 

John  K.,95,97,  98,  100. 

John  M.,  414. 

N.  B.,  213. 

Dr.  Wm.,  150. 

Clarke,  W.  H.,  231,  274,  275. 
Clay,  Henry,  195. 
Clearing  House,  279. 

Cleaver,  Charles,  136,  139,  140,  141,  178,  240. 
Clermont.  Jeremy,  100. 
Cleveland,  Grover,  443. 
Cliff,  Thos  ,  268. 
Clifford,  D.,  V13. 
Clubs- 
Debating,  136. 

"The  Club,"  141. 

Development  of,  338. 

Chicago,  339. 

Standard,  339. 

Fortnightly.  339. 

Literary,  839. 

Union,  340. 

Union  League,  339,  340. 

Illinois,  340. 

Iroquois,  341. 

Calumet,  341. 
"Cinders,  The,"  332. 
Citizens'  Association,  356. 
City  Charter,  154. 
City  Hall,  328. 
City  Scrip,  168. 
Clybourne  Family,  35,  93,  95. 
Clybourne  Archibald,  35,  97,  98,  99. 

Henley,  35,  98. 

John  H.,  261. 

Jonas,  35,  98,  100. 
Cobb,  Mr.,  194. 
Cobweb  Castle,  87. 

Colbert,  Prof.  Elias,  138,  168,  279,  306,  451 
Colburn,  L.  L.,  340. 
Colfax,  Schuyler,  195. 
Collier,  Rev.  Robt.  Laird,  342. 
Collins,  James  H.,  205,  225,  235. 
Collyer,  Rev.  Robert,  260,  269,  296,  340,  343,433. 
Columbian    Exposition,  see  World's   Columbian 

Exposition. 

Colvin,  H.  D.,  261,  329,  360. 
Companies,  see  War. 
Conant,  Mr.,  87. 
Concerts,  see  music. 
Confute   Indians,  67. 

Convention  of  1860,  see  Republican  Convention. 
Con  way,  James  J.,  268. 
Cook,  B.   F.,  342. 
Cook,  Daniel  P.,  112. 
Cook,  Isaac,  230. 
Cooke,  Mrs.  Susan  G.,428. 
Cooper  Institute,  258. 
Cooper  Isabella,  76. 
Coplin,  Mr.,  334. 
Copper  mines,  7,  10, 14. 
Corbin,  Mrs.  Philin,  70. 
Corliss  Engine,  390. 
Corning,  A.  H.  P.,  236,  260. 
Corning.  E.,  195. 
Corwin,  Thos.,  197. 
Corwith,  Henry,  284. 
Cotton  Gin,  Invention  of,  25. 
Couch,  James,  194,  232. 
Council  Bluffs,  la.,  48,  88,  83,  111. 
County  Court  House,  153. 
Contra  Louis,  100. 


INDEX. 


457 


Cox,  Wm.  L.,122. 

Crafts,  John,  100 

Cragin.  Edward  F.,  448. 

Crane  Brothers,  301. 

Crawford,  Col.  Wm.,  85. 

Creek  Indians,  40. 

Cregier,  D.  W.  C.,  229,  337,875,  231,  321,  827  361 

Crerar.  John,  412,  413,  414. 

Bequests  of,  413. 

Founds  the  Crerar  Library,  413-4. 
Crerar  Library,  413-4. 
Crfeve-Coeur,  Fort,  22. 
Crib  and  Tunnel,  see  Water  Works 
Crooks,  Ramsay,  83. 
Culver,  B.  F.,  344,  345,  374. 
Cumming,  Col.  Gilbert  W.,  264. 
Cummings,  Geo.  D.,  343. 

Currency,    125.   175,  242,  243,  246,  247,  248,  281 
282,  283 

Greenbacks,  281. 

"Michigan  money,"  167,  168. 

Stump-tail  Chimera,  242,  246,  282. 

Token-money,  246,  283. 
Curtis,  James,  204. 
Curtis  &  Tinkham,  242. 


Daggy,  Peter,  222,  224. 

Daly,  Major  James  H.  B.,  379. 

Dane,  Nathan,  49. 

Danville  Volunteers  in  Winnebago  Scare,  89   60 

184. 

Darris,  William  H.,  212. 
Davis,  David,  258. 

George,  137,  214. 

George  R.,  422. 

Col.  H.,267. 

Gov.  John.  184. 

Nathan  E.,  268. 

Nathan  S.,  223,  342,  343. 
Day,  Albert  M.,  443. 
Dayton,  257,  259. 

"  Dean  Richmond,"  clears  from  Chicago  to  Eng- 
land, 237. 

Dearborn,  New  Fort.  80,  85,  93,  98.  110,  251. 
Dearborn,  Old  Fort,  48,  51-6,  72,  73,  154,  276. 
Dearborn,  Gen'l,  50. 
Debating  Society,  99,  136. 
Debou,  54. 

Debt,  Chicago's  and  New  York's,  358. 
Declaration  of  Independence,  2~>. 
Deerfield  Massacre,  25. 
Democrats.    Leading,  131. 
De  Puyster.  Col.  Arent  Schuyler,  8,  25,  39,  40. 
Des  Champs,  84. 

Des  Plaines  River,  1,  4-6,  18,  20,  22,  84,  92;  206. 
Detroit,  English  stronghold,  34. 

Founded,  25. 

River.  21,  36,  40. 
Dexter.  S.  M.,  173. 

Win,  842,  358. 
De  Wolf.  Henry,  271. 

William,  264,  268. 
William  F.,264. 
Dickey,  Hugh  T.,  223. 

Judge  T.  Lyle,  174. 
Dickinson,  John  T.,  422. 
Divide,  The,  1,  6.  8,  20. 
Dixon  (Ferryman),  104. 

Joseph  H.,  377. 
Doggett,  Kate  N.,  339. 

Theodore  M..  268. 

Dole,  George  W.,  138,  147    150,   194,  204,  249 
317,  342. 


Dole,  Julia,  342 
J.  H.,347. 
J.  S..  242. 

Donelson.  Fort,  264,  265,  2«7,  269. 
Donnersberger,  J.,  867 
Dore,  J.  C.,  260. 
Doty,  Duane,  894. 

Douglas  Boulevard:  See  Park  System. 
Camp.  Conspiracy,  269,  270 
Park:  See  Park  System. 
Douglas,   Stephen    A.,  143,   163.  165.   197    218 

224,  248,  249.  250. 
Douglass,  John  M.,  222,  260. 
Drainage,  140,  230,  280. 

Commissioners,  230,231. 
In  Early  Days,  140,  231. 
Sewers,  280. 
Raising  City.  231. 
Deepening  Canal,  185,241.  280. 
Drexel,  A.  J.,  364. 
Statue,  364. 
Drink  Bill.  a54. 

Drummond,  Judge  Thomas,  210,  216  260 
Ducat,  Gen.  Arthur  C.,  262,  265,  377. 
Duncan,  Gov.,  163-5. 
Dunham,  John  H.,  249.  341 
Dunlap,  George  L.,  344. 
Dunn,  Charles,  114. 
Du  Pratz,  32. 
Dust  nuisance.  445-6. 
Dutch.  First  Settlement  of,  17. 
Dyer,  Charles  V.,  224.  280,  235. 
Rev.  Palmer,  127.  225. 
Thomas,  205. 
Dyhrenfurth,  George,  214. 

E. 

Eastman.  Zebina,  225,  226 

Ebbert,  John,  202,  208. 

Ebersold,  Lieut  ,  378. 

"  Economy  "(Fire  Engine),  321. 

Eddy,  D.  C.,  242. 

Edmunds,  of  Kaskaskia,  114. 

Education,  see  Schools. 

Edwards,  A.  H.,  72,  75. 

Egan,  Dr.  Wm.   Bradshaw.  112,   113,   114    138 
132.  133,147,  157,  181,  194,  249. 

Election  Frauds,  443. 

Electrical  Inventions,  25. 

Elgin,  111.,  176. 

Ellis  &  Fergus,  57,  143. 

Ellsworth,  Jas.  W.,  367. 
Col.,  262. 

England: 

Alliance  with  Indians,  34,  85. 
National  Debt  Begun,  25. 
Peace  with,  25. 
War  of  1812,56. 
Engel,  Geo  ,  385. 

Episcopal  Church,  see  Churches:  Religions. 
Erie.  Lake,  2,  3.  18,  21,  40. 
Erskine,  Col.  Albert.  268. 
Eschikagou,  8,  25,  89. 
Estray  Pen,  149. 
Evans,  Dr.  John,  228. 
Evanston,  111.,  48,  272. 
Everts,  Senator,  259. 
Everts,  W.  W.,  343. 
Eviston,  John,  272. 
Excern,  Maria.  342. 

Exhibition,  First  Public,  in  Chicago.  141. 
Expositions:      See  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion. 


45* 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Expositions:     Statistics  of  World's  Fairs,  423. 
Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary,  406. 


Fairbank,  N.  K.,  252,  256,  342,  347. 
Farmer's  and  Mechanic's  Bank,  242. 
Farnham,  Henry,  342. 
Farnsworth,  Colonel,  266. 
Farrington,  S.  P.,  343. 
Farwell,  C.  B  ,  344. 

I.  V.,  329,  345. 
Felton.  Mrs.  Wm.,  429. 
Fergus,  George,  276. 
Fergus,  Robert,  57,  143,  180,  194. 
Fergus  Historical  Series,  11,  13,  48,  50,  51,  57, 
67    72,  90,  101,  119,   122,  136,  147,  160, 
171,193,203-5,  216,  218. 
Fergus  Printing  Co.,  57. 
Ferry,  Rope,  52,  209. 
Person,  John,  50. 

Julia,  50. 

Mary  La  Duke,  50. 
Field,  D.  D.  195,  196. 
Field,  Marshall,  329,  346,  347,  414. 
Field  sports,  141. 
Fielden,  Sam'l,  385. 
Finley,  Dr.  Clement  A.,  93. 
Fires:  (See   Fire  of  1871.      Fire  of  1874.     Early 

Fires,  236.    First  Engines,  125,  152     Lake 

Street  Fire,  236.) 
Fire  of  1871. 
After  the  Fire. 

Building  up,  322,  324,  326. 

Debris,  Use  of,  355. 

Description  of  Scenes,  304,  318. 

Financial  Condition,  323,  325,  327,  329. 

Fire  Limits  Extended,  325. 

First  Business   Efforts,  329.  333. 

Insurance  Settlements,  322,  351,  356,  412. 

Military  Aid,  301. 

Recovery  Prophesied,  302. 

Safes  and  Vaults  opened,  350. 

Water,  Lack  of,  301. 
Descriptions  of, 

Bateman's,  291. 

D.  C.  Cregier's.  321. 

Kauffman's,  320,  321. 

C.  S.  K's.  296-7. 

J.  K's,  303-5. 

Sheahan  &  Upton's,  292. 

Shortall's,  310. 

Bibliography  of,  306. 

Williams'  (Fire  Marshall),  321. 
Destruction  by, 

Bateham's  Planing  Mill,  321. 

Caton  House.  311. 

Court  House  Be  1  falls,  314, 

Hibbard  &  Spencer's  cutlery,  315. 

Last  House  falls,  298. 

Old  Buildings,  326. 

Park  Plans,  363. 

Records:  See  Real  Estate. 

Safes  and  Vaults.  350. 

Sherman  House,  321. 

Summary  of   Losses  and  Compensations, 
301,  30"2 

Tribune  Building,  321. 

Water  Works.  295,  321. 
Suffering  Relieved, 

Credit  from  the  East,  823. 

I    OOO      451 

Insurance  Settlements,  -J  0-a'  xio' 

Other  Cities  send  aid.  299,  302,  322. 
Relief  at  Home,  298,  322. 


Fire  of  1871 — Suffering  Relieved, 

State  Legislature  to  the  Rescue,  327. 

A.  T.  Stewart  sends  aid,  322. 
Miscellaneous. 

Course  of  the  Fire,  293,  294. 

Elevator  Rescued,  318,  319. 

Exodus  of  Women  and  Children,  332. 

Fire  Department,  287-90,321. 

Freight  in  Yards  Saved,  318,  319. 

Gen.  Stockton's  generosity,  312. 

Mayor  and  Relief  Society,  300. 

Origin  of  the  Fire,  291. 

Police,  Special  Sworn  In,  300. 

River  Crossed  by  the  Fire,  292,  312. 

Sun,  Appearance  of,  297. 

Troops  Called  Out,  313. 
See,  also,  Real  Estate. 
Fire  of  1874. 

Fire  Department,  355-6. 

Origin,  355. 

Losses  by,  355. 
Fischer,  Gustav,  383,  385. 
Fisk,  F.  W.,  343. 
Flood  of  1849,  205-9. 
Fonda,  John  H.,  92,  93. 
Food,  Scarcity  of ,  in  1834,  138. 
Forbes,  Stephen,  122. 
Ford,  Gov.,  165.  166,191. 
Forsyth,  Robert  A.,  122.  266. 

Thomas,  88. 
Foster,  Geo.  F.,  160. 

John  H.,  182,298. 

John  W.,  222. 

Fort  Dearborn,  See  Dearborn  Fort. 
Fowle,  Maj.  John.  95. 
Fox  Indians,  25,  30.  32. 
Frankenthal,  E.,  339. 
Franklin.  Benjamin,  25,  36,  46. 
Frederick  the  Great,  25. 
Freer,  Dr.  Otto.  101. 
Freeman,  Robert,  224. 

Rev.  Allen  B.,  126. 
Free  Soil,  225. 

French  Alliance  with  America,  25,  36,  37. 
Community  in  Illinois,  15. 
Explorations  in  America.  15. 
First  Settlement  in  Illinois.  17. 
Negro  Slavery  Brought  to  Illinois,  26. 
French,  Capt.  Chas.  H.,  379. 

Wm.  R.,  347. 
Frink,  John,  180,  194. 
Frink  &  Bingham.  181. 
Frink  &  Walker,  181. 
Frontenac,  22. 
Fry,  Jacob,  113.  169,  171. 
Fugitive  Slave  Law,  49,  224,  225. 
Fuller,  D.  W.,  294. 
Henry.  251. 
Melville  W.,443. 
S.  W.,294. 
Furman,  Lieut.  John  G.,  93. 


Gage,  Geo.  W..342. 

Gage,  Lyman  J.,  347,  352,  422,  425.  433. 

Gaines,  Gen.,  103,  104. 

Gale,  Stephen  F.,  178,  178,  192. 

Galena,  32.  216,  217. 

And  Chicago  Union  R.  R.,  176,  189,  203- 

205,  218,  252. 
Galewood,  4. 
Galloway.  James,  98. 

Mary,  98. 


INDEX. 


459 


Game  in  pre-historic  times,  5,  7,  98. 
Garfield  Park,  see  Park  System 
Garlick  Creek,  9.  47. 

Portage,  77. 

Wild,  8,  9. 
Garrett,  Aug  ,  158. 
Gary,  Judge  Joseph  E.,  386. 
Gates,  General.  34. 

P.  W.,  367. 
Gay,  S.  H.,  342. 

Geographical  position  of  Chicago,  402. 
George  II,  24,  25. 
George  III,  26,  33.  45,  56. 
Georgia  Banks,  243,  247,  284. 
Gettysburg,  Battle  of,  256,  266,  269. 
Gibault,  Pere,  87. 
Gibbs,  Anna  M.    342. 
Dr.,  249.  ' 
Mrs.  George.  271. 
Oilman,  Margaret  M.,  342. 
Gilpin,  Henry  D.,  344. 
Gindele,  J.  G  ,  274. 
Ginty,  Mrs.  F.  B  ,  428. 
Girardot  (Cape  Girardeau),  25. 
Girty,  Simon,  35. 
"Gitchikago  "  9. 
Glamorgan,  39. 
Goodhue,  Josiah  G.,  149,  150. 
Goodrich,  Judge  Grant.  160  194.  260. 
Goodrich  Steamboat  Dock,  121. 
Grounds,  Burying. 
"Goose  Island."  277. 
Goudy,  Wm.  C.,  277.  374. 
Government  Land  Sales,  158. 
Graceland,  141. 
Grade  Crossings,  218. 
Grand  River,  86. 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  346. 
Grant,  James,  93. 
Gravier,  S.  J.,  24,  25,  28. 
Graves,  D  .  141. 
Graw,  Capt.,  252. 
Great  Lakes    Course  of,  1. 

Changed  direction  of,  1,  2. 

See  also   Lake  Michigan 

Lake  Superior,  etc. 

Greeley  &  Carlson,  City  Surveyors,  317. 
Greeley.  Horace,  195,  196,  197/258. 

Samuel  S.,  342. 

Green,  Capt.,  at  Ft.  Dearborn,  85. 
Green  Bay,  Joliet's  Voyage,  18. 
Green  Tree  Tavern:  See  Hotels. 
Greenebaum.    Henry,  367. 
Greenville,  Treaty  of.  49,  79. 
Gresham's  Law,  246,  247. 
Griffin  &  Vincent.  242. 
Grignon,   Augustin,  25,  39. 

Peresh,  39. 

Grinnell,  Julius  S  ,  386. 
Gross  Point.  Evanston,  48. 
Growth  of  Chicago  since  the  Fire,  403. 
••  Grutte."  65.  80. 
Guarie,  43   51,  62. 

River,  North  Branch,  51,  56,  62. 
Guiot,  M..  429. 
Gullen.  Thos.  F.  W..  2R8. 
"  Gund  "  Fire  Engine,  321. 
Gurley,  194. 

H 

Hadduck,  B.  F..  311. 
Hage,  Joseph,  184. 
Haines.  Emma  F.,  342. 
Haldimand,  Sir  Frederick.  39. 

Mss,  34  39. 


Haldimand,  William   39 
Hale,  Rev.  E.  E..  433 
Hall,  David,  97.  98,  107. 
Duncan  J.,  268. 
Henry  W..  268 
W.  M.,  193;  199. 
Hull. mi,   Rev.  Isaac  W.,  127. 
Halsted  Street,  54. 
Hamill,  Chas.  D.,  346,  347. 
Hamilton,  Col.  Henry,  34,  39,  40,  41   42  44 
Hamilton,  R.  J.  105.  117,  123,  129. 
Hammond,  C.  G.,  342. 
Handy,  Simmons  &  Co.   310 
Hardin,  John  J  .  150. 
Harding,  Capt.  Frederick,  201. 
'•  Hardscrabble  "  18,  54.  U8. 
Harmer,  61. 
Harmon,  Dr    Elijah  D.,  131,  182   141 

Isaac  D.,   141. 

Harmonic  Society,  See  Music. 
Harper,  City  Supt.,  120. 
Harrison,  President  Benjamin.  418. 

Hon.  Carter  H.   360,  361. 

Mrs    Russell  B.,  428. 
Hartzell,  Thos.,  159. 
Harvey.  T.  W.,  342. 
Harwick,  J.  H.,218. 
Hayden,  James  R.,  261. 
Hayes,  S.  J.,  318    319. 
Hayes,  S.  S.,  342 
Heacock,  Russell  E.,  133 
Heald,  Hon.  Darius,  72,  74. 

Capt.  Nathan.   56,  57,  59,  60,  61.  «4    6.S 
66,  67.  72,  73,  74,  77. 

Mrs.  Rebckah,  5y,  62,  67,  73,  74,  70   126 
Healey,  G.  P.  A..  346. 
Heath,  Mayor,  360,  377. 
Heathcock.  Edwin,  225. 
Hecker.  Col.  Frederick,  265. 
Helm.  Lieut  .  64,  67. 

Mrs.    Margaret  McKillop,  58,  64.  60,  67, 

74,  75,  76.  77,  107. 
Hempstead.  Mr. ,216. 
Hennepin,  Father,  8.  26. 
Henry,  Patrick.  36,  40,  44. 
Hesing,  Washington,  374. 
Hester,  Alex.,  125.  200. 
Hewitt,  Chas.  A.,  302. 
Hibbard,  Mr..  310. 

H.  M..  347. 

Hibbard  &  Spencer,  312,  314,  315. 
Hickey,  Capt.,  293. 

M.  C.,  377. 

Higgins,  Judge  Van  H.,  260.343, 
Higginson.  G.  M  .342. 
High,  John,  176.  236. 
Highland  Park,  4. 
Highwood.  4. 
Hildreth,  Alderman.  293. 
Hinckley.  E.  R..  244 
Histories  referred  to: 

Andreas'  History  of  Chicago. 

Ballance's  History  of  I'eoria. 

Blanchard's  Northwest. 

Brown's  History  of   Illinois. 

Fergus'  Historical  Series. 

Hurlbut's  Chicago  Antiquities. 

Moses'  History  <>f  Illinois. 

Schoolcraft.   Indian  Chronicles. 
Historians  of  Chicago,  451. 
Historical  Society.  25.  27.45.  47,81.  87.  101,  130, 

216.  285.  343.  344,  406. 

of  \Vi-ronsin.  39. 
Hilchrock.  Prof..  '."'S. 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Hitt,  Isaac  R.,  367 

Hjortsberg,  Max,  374. 

Hoffman's  Bank,  244. 

Hogan,  J.  S.  C.,  112,  128,  129,  168. 

Hoge,  Col.  Geo.  B.,  266. 

Jane  C.,342. 

Mrs.  A.  H.,271. 
Holden,  C.  C.  P.,  191,  192,  248,  349,  367. 

C.  N.,  161. 

P.  H.,  348. 

Home  for  the  Friendless'  See  Charities. 
Hone,  Philip,  195. 
Hosmer,  Dr.  Arthur  B.,  101. 

Mrs.  O.  E.,  271. 
Hospitals:  See  Charities. 
Hotchkiss,  Lieut.  Col.,  266. 
Hotels. 

City  Hotel,  174. 

Green  Tree  House.  96,  348. 

Lake  House,  139. 

Miller  House,  97. 

Richmond  House,  257,  258. 

Sauganash,  100,  109,  139. 

Tremont  House,  110.  258. 

Wolf  Tavern,  96. 
Hough,  R.  M.,  249.  261. 
Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  342. 
Howe,  Mrs.  Samuel,  342. 
Howland,  Henry,  345. 
Hoyne,  Thomas.  194.  216.  260. 
Hoyt,  W.  H.  &  Co.'s  Store,  51,  52,  72,  81. 
Hubbard,  Gurdon  Saltonstall,  25,  71,  80,  84,  89, 
90,  91,  92,  93,  101,  113,  404. 

Henry,  112,  146,  147,  194. 
Hugunin,  Hiram,  131. 

Capt.  Jas    R.,  262. 
Hull,  Gen..  56,  59,  62. 
Humboldt  Boulevard:  See  Park  System. 

Park:  See  Park  System. 

Hunter,  Gen.  David,   53,  64,  95,   122,   160,  178, 
180. 

Mrs.  David,  53,  64,  95, 107. 
Huntington,  Alonzo,  194,  196. 
Hurlbut,  Henry  H.,  65,  81,  86,  89,  90,  91,  92,  93, 

105,  117,  124,  125,  129. 
Huron,  Lake,  1,  21. 
Hutchinson,  C.  L.,  347. 
Hyde  Park.  61. 
Hyde,  Dr.  J.  Nevins,  129. 
Hyer,  Thos.,  257. 

I. 

Illinois. 

Banking  Law,  247. 

Boundaries  fixed,  48. 

Central  R.  R.:   See  Railroads. 

Humane  Society,  345. 

Interest,  failed  to  pay  in '42,  113. 

Indian  Tribe,  9,  13.  27.  30. 

Battle  with  Fox  Tribe,  32. 

Extermination  Attempted,  27. 
Land  Company,  47. 
Legislature. 

Bill   passed  over    Governor's  veto,   lf>3, 

165. 

Foolish  Enactments,  161. 

Recoups  Chicago.  327. 
River.  1,  6,  18,  22,  23,  27,  79. 
State  Bank  of.  242. 
Steamship,  225. 
Valley,  1,  5,  6. 

Illuminating  Gas  Invented,  25. 
Indiana. 

Boundaries  fixed,  48. 


Indians. 

Black  Hawk  War,  104. 

Calumets'  Prediction,  58. 

Hostilities,  103,  104. 

Habits,  10,  12,  14,  27,  30,  106. 

Outrages,  13,  14,  32-4. 

Treaties,  105-7. 

War  Dance,  108. 
Inflation,  285. 
Ingersoll,  Robert  G.,  358. 
Insurance. 

Re-organization  after  Fire  of  '74,  356. 

Settlements  for  Fire  of  '71  ;  351,  412. 
Insurance  Companies. 

vEtna,  412. 

Chicago  Fire  &  Marine,  242. 

Liverpool  &  London.  &  Globe,  412. 

Wisconsin  Fire  &  Marine,  242. 
Internal  Improvements. 

Craze  for,  163-5,  170,  171. 

Enactment,  113. 

Lincoln  supports,  117. 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  346. 
Ireland,  Archbishop,  433. 
Iroquois  Indians,  13,  22,  27,  30. 
Irving,  Washington,  83. 
Irwin,  D.  W..  347. 
Ishenvood,  Harry,  185. 
Isherwood  &   McKenzie,  181. 


Jackson,  Capt.,  234. 

Huntington  W.,413. 
Jacobs,  Capt.  Lewis  F..379. 
Jail,  log,  149. 
James,  T.  C.,  235. 
Jayne,  Dr.,  114. 
Jeffery.  E.  T.,  422. 
Jesuits,  18,  19,  21,  25. 
[ohnson,  Alfred  O.,  268. 

Captain,  132. 

Dr.  Hosmer  A.,  342. 

Mrs.  Seth,  125. 

W.  S.,  344. 

Johnston,  Shepherd,   116. 
Joliet,  17.  18,  19,  24,  25,  26,  78. 

Lake,  1,  5. 

River,  2, 5,  6. 
Jones, ,  187. 

Fernando,  141,  173,  182. 

Wm.,  182.  234. 
Jones,  King&  Co..  176. 
Jones  &  Sellers,  309. 
Jordan.  Walter,  67. 
Jouett,  Charles,  53,  133. 
Journal,  The:  See  newspapers. 
Judd,  AdalineR.,  342. 
Judd,  Norman  B.,  147,  154,  194,  249,341. 


K 

Radish,  L.  J.,  374. 
Kales,  Francis  H.,  374. 
Kanawha  Valley,  46. 
Kane  County  Bank,  283. 
Kansas. 

Free  state,  224. 
Kansas-Nebraska  Bill,  224. 
Kaskaskia. 

Fort  at,  built  by  La  Salle.  22,  25. 
Named  "  Creve-coeur,"  22. 
Surrenders  to  English.  33. 
Taken  by  Clark.  17,  25,  37,  40.  42,  44. 


INDEX. 


461 


Kaskaskia. 

Indian  village: 

First  settlement,  18,  25,  27,  36,  103. 
Land  Companies  at,  47. 
Moved  South,  25,  28. 

Mission  at. 

Founded  by  Marquette,  25. 
Moved  south,  29. 

River.  37. 

Kaufman,  W.  Scott,  320-1. 
Keating,  Wm.  H.,  92. 
Keep,  Albert,  414. 
Keith,  Edson   347,  414. 

John  S     268. 
Kellogg,  Capt  ,  262. 
Kennicott,  H.  W.,  422. 
Kennison.  James.  276. 
Kentucky  taken  from  Indians,  36. 
Kerchival,  B.  B.,  159,  225. 
Kerfoot,  S.  H.  &  Co.,  159. 

W.  D.,320. 
Kerfoot's  Block,  329. 
Kernstown,  Battle  of,  262. 
Kickapoo  Indians,  67. 
Kimball,  Mark,  343. 

W.,  112. 

Kimberly,  E.  S.,  150. 
King,  Henry,  342. 

Tuthill,  249. 
Kingwell,  J   A.,  422. 
Kinzie,  Elizabeth,  35,  97. 

Ellen  Marion,  53,  64,  91,  95,  181. 

Gwenthlean  Whistler,  51,  90. 

James,  35,95-8,  107,  133,  159. 

John,  24,  25,  35,  52, 53.  54,  56,  57,  59,  60, 62, 
64.  67,  74-5,  76,  77-8.  79,  84.  86,  87,  88, 
89,  90,  98,  100.  101,  107-8,  123,  133,  159. 

Mrs.  John,  64,  65,  94. 

John  Harris,  53,  57,  59,  64,  74,  87,  94,  107, 
127,  182,  342,  343. 

Mrs.  John  Harris,  54,  57,  58,  59,  61,  65, 
67,  69,  72,  74,75,80,94,122. 

John  Harris,  Jr.,  268. 

Maria  Indiana,  53,  64. 

Col.  Robert  A.,  51,  53,  64,  93,  95,  107, 112, 
137. 

Mrs.  Rob't  A.:  See  Kinzie,  Gwenthlean  W. 

William,  35.  96,  107. 
Kinzie  Ancestors,  35. 
Kinzie  Family,  144  405. 
Kinzie  Mansion,  51 
Knights,  Darius,  207 
Koch,  Capt.  C.  R.  E.,  379. 
Kowald,  Captain,  261 
Kralovec,  John,  369. 

L. 

Labor  troubles:  See  Anarchist  Riot.  Pullman 

Strike,  McCormick  Reaper  Works. 
Labrador,  10. 
Lackey's  Zouaves,  379. 
"  Lady  Elgin,"  Wreck  of,  272.  273. 
Lady  Managers,  See  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion. 

La  Framboise,  Josette,  65,  79,  83,  99. 
La  Frank,  Claude,  98,  100. 

Francis,  Sr.,  98,  19. 

Francis,  Jr..  98. 

Joseph,  98,  100,  127. 
La  Hontan,  8. 
Lake,  Wells,  202. 
Lake  Erie.  2,  3,  18,  21. 
Lake  Forest,  4. 


Lake  Front  Park,  80. 

Lake  Huron,  1,  21. 

Lake  Joliet,  1. 

Lake  Michigan.  1.  3,  4,  18,  20,  21.  50. 

Height,  239. 

Tides,  239. 
Lake  Navigaiion: 

Exports  and  Imports  by  Lake,  153. 

First  Lake  Vessels,  21. 

Lake  Steamboat  Association.  193. 

Wrecks,  252,  256.  272-3. 
Lake  Ontario,  2. 

Lake  Shore  Drive,  See  Park  Sysiem. 
Lake  St.  Clair,  21. 
Lake  Street  Fire,  See  Fires. 
Lake  Superior.  1,  7. 
Lakeside,  4. 
Lake  View,  252,  256. 
Lalime.  John,  54,  101. 
Lalime's  Skeleton  unearthed,  101. 
Landacher  (policeman),  378. 
Lane,  Charles  H.,  268. 
Lamed,  Edwin  C.,  261,  341. 
Larrabee,  Lucius,  268. 
LaSalle,  III.,  32. 
LaSalle,  See  Cavelier. 
Latrobe,  C.  J..  105-6. 
Law. 

Early  Laws,  149. 

Lawyers  in  Chicago,  134,  152. 
Law,  John.  25,  29,  30. 
Lawton,  Barney,  98. 
Leake,  Genl.  J.   B.  260. 
Leavitt,  David,  113. 
Le  Bar,  22 

LeBrise,   Francoise,  25. 
Le  Clerc,  Peresh,  69. 
Lee,  Mr.,  54.  63. 

Genl.  R.  E.,  269. 

Thomas,  46. 

Leek  (Wild  Onion),  8.  9. 
Leicht,  Andrew  E. ,  374, 
Leisure  Class,  few  in  Chicago,  437,  438. 
Leiter.  Lev!  Z.,  344,  347. 
Le  Mai,  Joseph,  25,  48,  52. 
Lemont  Stone,  228. 
"Leopard,"  English  frigate,  56. 
Lester,  Thomas  T.,268. 
Lettman,  Julius,  268. 
Letz,  F.,  274, 
Lexington,  Mo.,  battle  of,  262. 

(  Crerar  Library. 
Libraries,    see  j  Newberry  .,  • 

Lieb,  Gen.,  379. 

Light,  Austin.  264. 

Lighthouse,  first,  141. 

De  Lignerie,  Commandant,  25,  32. 

Lill  (carpenter),  321. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  25,92.  104,113,  150,161.163. 

164.   195,  196,    197,  200,  219,  249.   2.50, 

257,  258,  259. 
Hon.  Robert  A.,  57,  72. 
Lincoln  Park,  see  Park  system 
Lind,  Sylvester,  231. 
Lindsay,  Wm.,  422. 
Lingg.  Louis,  see  Anarchist  Riot. 
Lipe,  Clark.  367. 
Literature,  First  book.   189, 
Little  Turtle.  12,  50,  60,  61. 
Livcrmore,  Mrs.  D.  P.,  271. 

Liverpool  &  London  &  Globe  Insurance  Co. .412. 
Lockport,  5,  112. 
Lockwood,  Judge,  150,  190. 
Locomotive,  First  in  Chicago.  201,  202. 


462 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Logan,  Hugh,  70. 

Gen.  John  A.,  443. 

S.  T.,  150. 

London  "Times"  started,  25. 
Long,  James,  189. 
"Long  John,''  (fire  engine),  321. 
Loomis,  H.  G.,  229. 
Louis  XIV.,  8,  24,  25. 
Louis  XV.,  33. 
Louisburg,  Capture  of,  25. 
Louisiana.  23,  80. 
Lovejoy,  Killing  of,  224. 
Lowe,  Sheriff,  225. 
Lowell,  Mr.  of  "Tribune,"  331. 

James  Russell  quoted,  193. 
Loyal  Legion,  346. 
Lumbard,  Frank,  214. 
Lutherans,  see  Churches. 
Lydecker,  Major  L.  J.,  120.  238. 
Lynch,  Col.  Wm.  F.,265. 

M 

Mac  Arthur,  E.,  209. 
Macauley,  Lieut.,  378. 
Mackin,  Joseph,  443. 
Mackinac,  see  Mackinaw. 
Mackinaw,  83. 

Fort,  56.  74,  84. 

Straits  of,  26.  58. 
"Madeira  Pet "237-8. 
Madison,  James,  56,  80. 
Magazines,    see  Newspapers. 
Magie,  H.  H.,  176. 

Magill,  Juliette  A.:  see  Kinzie,  Mrs.  John  H. 
Man,  first  approach  of.  7, 
Manchester,  W.  D.,266. 
Manierre,  Judge  Geo.,  260. 
Mann.  Gen.  O.  L.,  264,  379. 
Manning,  J  ,  169. 
Mansfield,  Co!.,  115. 
Manvers  (Opera  singer),  222. 
Marest,  Pere,  S.  J.,  25,  28. 
Margry  (Historian),  21,  25,  41. 
Marine  Bank,  283. 
Marion,  Gen.,  34,  43. 
Markets,  Building,  212. 
Marquette,  Pere,  18.  19.  25,  26,  27,  127.  317. 
Marsh,  Sylvester,  188,  189. 
Marshall,  Chief  Justice,  44. 

Perry,  213. 

Thomas.  44. 

Martindale,  Elijah  B.,  422, 
Mason.  E.  G.,  25,  26,  68. 

Geo.,  369. 

Roswell  B.,  217,  221,  251,  283,  360. 
Masonic  Temple.  444,448. 
Masons,  See  A.  F.  &  A,  M. 
Massac,  Fort,  37. 
Massacre  Elm,  71,  78. 
Massacre  at  Fort  Dearborn. 

Darius  Heald's  account,  73. 

Capt.  Heald's  mistake,  66. 

Mrs.  Helm's  account,  66-9. 

Horrors  of,  66-71. 

Murder  of  Children,  69-71. 

See   also    Dearborn,    Fort,  and    Massacre 

Elm. 

Massey,  Geo.  V.,  422. 
Matagorda,  Benj.,  23. 
Matteson,  Gov.,  233. 
Mauhews,  Asa.  358. 

Geo.,  100. 

Mrs.  Geo.,  135 


Maumee  River.  30,  40. 
Maxwell,  Dr.  Philip,  93. 
May,  Horatio  N.,  374. 
Mayors  of  Chicago. 

See  Municipal  Government. 
McArthur,  Col.  John.  261. 
McCagg,  Ezra  B.,  339,  342-3,  346,  374,  410. 
McClellan,  Gen.  Geo.  B.,268. 
McCormick  Reaper  Works. 

Origin  ot.  189. 

Strike  at,  383. 

McCoy,  Rev.  Isaac,  81,  83,  126. 
McGonnigle,  Alex..  321. 
McKee,  Daniel,  98,  100,  187,  188. 
McKenzie,  Jas.  A.,  422. 
McKenzie  &  Isherwood,  181. 
McKenzie,  see  McKinzie. 
McKinney.  11. 
McKinzie,  Elizabeth,  35,  97,  98. 

Isaac.  35.  95,  97. 

Margaret,  35.  95.  96,  97,  98. 
McVicker,  James  H.,  213,  223. 

Mrs,  James  H.,  213. 
McVicker's  Theatre,  443. 
Medill,  Joseph,  262,  266,  324-5,  360. 

Mrs.  Joseph,  271. 

Major  Wm.  H.,  266,  268,  269. 
Meeker,  G.  W..  194. 
Meeker,  Wm.,  213. 
Menard,  P..  159. 

Merchant's  Loan  &  Trust  Co  ,  283,  406. 
Meredith.  Mrs.  Virginia  C,  428. 
Me-tee-a,  86. 
Metropolitan  Hall,  260. 
Mexican  War,  191-2. 
Miami  Indians,  22,  61,  64. 
Michigan    Central  R    R.:See  Railroads. 
"Michigan  Money",  167-8. 
Michigan  Southern  R.  R.:  See  Railroads. 
Michilimackinack    9,  22. 
Mihalotzy,  Capt.,  261,  268. 
Miles,  Gen.  Nelson  A.,  427. 
Miller,  Samuel,  97,  117. 
Miller's  Tannery,  152. 
Miltimore,  Ira,  184,  189. 
Milwaukee  "Advertiser,"  162. 
Minor,  Mrs.  Catherine  L. ,  428. 
Miqueloh,  15. 
Mirandeau.  89. 

Mission  Ridge.  Battle  of,  264,  266,  271. 
Missions,  See  Religion. 
Mississippi  River,  1,  18.  21,  22,  23,  25,27. 
Mitchell,  Mr.  (Supt.  I.C.R  R.),  319'. 
Mobile,  Ala.,  28. 
"Mohawk."    Rescues   the    "Charles    Howard, 

252-256 
Money, 

Abundance  of  in  Chicago,  446. 

Lenders.  242. 
Montauk  Block,  448. 
Montreal.  15.  18,  22,  23. 
Moody,  Dwight  L.,  345. 
Moody,  Otis,  268. 
Moore,  Captain,  252. 
Moreau,  Pierre,  18. 
Morgan,  Adaline  C.,  342. 
Morgan.  Geo    C..  202. 
Morris,  Geo.  P.,  160. 

Buckner  S..  270. 
•Lavinia.  342. 

Moses,  Judge,  11,  28,  45,  49,  164,  165-6. 
Mott,  August,  70. 
Mound  Builders,  7,  14. 
Movable  Sidewalk.  404. 


INDRX. 


463 


Mower,  Capt.  L.,  191. 
Mowry,  Henry  C.,  268. 
Mud  in  Early  Days.  140. 

Nuisance  at  Present,  445-6. 
Mud  Lake,  1,  6,  20,  84,  04,  206. 
Mueller,  A.  H.,  341. 
Mulligan,  Gen   James  A.,  262,  268. 
Multiple  Dispatch  Railway,  404. 
Municipal  Government, 

Aldermen.  First  Board,  154. 

Mayors,  Succession  of,  360-1. 
Murfreesboro,  Battle  of,  264-6. 
Murphy,  Major,  379. 
Murray,  Wm.,9,  25,  47. 
Murray  &  Brand,  242. 
Music  in  Chicago,  213,  214. 

Choir  of  St.  James.  136. 

Concerts  in  the  Parks,  364. 

First  Concert.  136-7. 
"      Organ,  136. 
"      Piano.  135. 

Harmonic  Society,  136. 

Philharmonic  Society,  136. 

N. 

Nadeau,  Monique,  100. 

Naperville,  111.,  187. 

Napoleon  born,  25. 

Nashville,  Battle  of,  266-7. 

Nationalities  in  Chicago,  403. 

Natural  Gas  Discovered.  25. 

Navigation,  see  Chicago  River,  Lake  Navigation. 

Neads,  John,  70. 

Mrs.  John,  70. 
Nelson,  Andrew,  374. 

Murry,  346. 

Nepven  Family,  Murder  of,  32. 
Nes-cot  no-meg,  85. 
Newberry.  Julia  R.,408,  411. 

Mary  Louisa,  408. 

Oliver,  195. 

Walter  L.,  242.405-411 
Newberry  &  Burch.  242. 
Newberry  Estate,  408. 

Conditions  of  Will,  408. 

Litigation  over.  409. 
Newberry  Library,  406-8. 

Bequest  for,  409. 

Librarian,  409. 

Location,  410. 

Plans  for,  411. 
New  England  Festival,  214. 
New  France,  23 
Newhall,  Harry   215. 
New  Orleans,  29.  30. 
Newspapers,  Periodicals,  etc. 
Chicago  Publications: 

••American."  154,  158,  181,  189. 

"  Chicago  Magazine."  87, 136,  168,  172. 

"  Democrat,"  116,  130,  141,  180,  207,208, 
209,  2!2.  243.  244. 

"  Democratic  Advocate,"  180. 

••Journal,"  193,  195.207,  209,330. 

"  Times,"  119, 120.  224.  230.  293. 

"Tribune,"  147,  160,  244.  248,  259,  330. 
Milwaukee  "  Advertiser,"  162. 
New  York  "  Herald."  194. 
"  Mirror,"  160. 
"Tribune,"  196. 

Niles  "Weekly  Register," 69,  70,  72,  74. 
Washington  "  Union,"  197. 
Newton,  Isaac,  died,  25. 
New  York. 

Chicago's  Elder  Sister,  445. 


New  York. 

Dutch  Settlement,  25 

See  also  Newspapers. 

Tweed  Ring,  358. 
Niagara  Falls,  2.  3.  7. 
Niagara  River,  1,  2.  5,  21,  30. 
Nickerson,  S    M.,  847,  374. 
Nicolet,  18. 

Niles  "Weekly  Register,"  see  Newspapers. 
Noble,  John,  99. 

Mark.  90. 

The  Misses,  125. 
Norton,  Col.  Chas.  B.,  403,  422. 

Nelson  R.,  119,  153. 
Nugent,  Jas.,  268. 

Nursery  and  Half  Orphan  Asylum.  342. 
Nye,  James  W.,  312,  313. 

O. 

Oakley,  Charles,  184. 
Oak  Park,  4, 

Odd  Fellows,  See  I.  O.  O.  F. 
Ogden,  J.  De  P.,  195. 

Mahlon  D.,  225,  410. 

William  B.,  113,  115,  144-6.  154,  160,  172, 
182,  184,  194,  205,  214,  216,  231.  343, 
405-6.  41«-7. 

Ogaen  Estate,  Litigation  over,  416-7. 
Ogden  Residence.  410. 
Ogden-Wentworth  Ditch.  1. 
Ogee,  Mrs.  Sophia  (Beaubien).  135. 

Ohio,  admitted  to  the  Union,  115. 

Boundaries  fixed,  49. 
Ohio  Company,  46. 
Ohio  Life  &  Trust  Co..  245. 
Ohio  River.  28,  46. 
Oklahoma,  111. 
Old  Ladies'  Home,  342. 
O'Leary,  Mrs.  Patrick,  290,  291. 
Olmstead  &  Vaux,  363. 
O'Meara.  Col.  Timothy,  266. 
Onion,  Wild,  8,  9. 
Ontario  Flat,  2. 
Ordinance  of  1787,  49. 
Organ,  First,   136. 
Osborne,  Lieut.  Col.  Thomas  O.,  264. 

Wm.  H.,  222. 

Ottawa  Indians,  11,  13.  86,  88,  111. 
Ouillemette.  Antoine,  48,  52.  62,  75.  78.  79, 84,  93, 

100,  107. 
Owens,.  Geo..  123. 

Thos.  J.  V.,  105,  123.  127,  130. 

William,  123. 

P. 

Packing  Industr) . 

G    W.  Dole  the  Father  of  the  System.  138. 
First  Meat  Packed,  189. 
Page,  Peter,  195. 
Palmer.  Gov..  300.  327. 
Palmer.  Potter,  422. 

Mrs.  Potter.  428-32. 
Thos.  W..  422.  429. 
Panic  of  1*37.  117.  163,  168.185,  189. 

Of  1873.  352.  et  seq. 
Pare  au  Vaches,  88. 
Park  System. 

Boulevards,  364-9,  370-2. 
Miscellaneous. 

Debt  Lessened.  3"?5. 

Early  Purchases.  364. 

A  Free  Gift  to  the  Future,  375. 

Losses  by  Fire,  363. 

Present  Needs  Outrun,  374. 


464 


THE    STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Park  System. — Continued. 
Parks. 
Campbell  Park,  368. 

Douglas  Park,  36S. 

Drexel  Statue,  364. 

Garfield  Park,  368. 

Humboldt  Park,  368. 

Jackson  Park,  366. 

Jefferson  Park,  368. 

Lake  Front  Park,  80. 

Lincoln    Park,  1*2,  276,   277,   362,   368, 
370-2,  374. 

South  Park,  363,  366-8 

Union    Park,  368. 

Vernon    Park,  368. 

West  Side  Parks,  367-9. 

Wicker  Park,  368, 
Statistics. 

Lincoln  Park,  Acreage,  372-3. 

Cost,  373.    Debt,  373. 

South  Park  Equipment,  367. 

South  Side  Parks.     Table  of  Areas,  367. 

West  Side  Parks.     Table  of  Areas,  369. 
Parker,  Thos.    242. 
Parmelee,  Franklin,  251. 
Parsons.  Albert,  383,  385. 
Parthenon  destroyed,  25. 
Patriotism  during  the  Civil  War,  270-1. 
Patton,  Rev.  Dr.,  260. 
Pavements,  140,  212,  222 
Peace  with  England,  25. 
Peach-tree  Creek,  Battle  of,  264-5. 
Peale's  "  Guide,"  421. 
Pea  Ridge.  Fight  at,  264. 
Pearson,  Hiram,  119. 
Peck,  Ebenezer,  131. 

Ferd.  W.,  346,  422. 
Judge,  147. 
Pee-so-tum,  68,  69. 
Penn,  D.  B.,  423. 
Penn,  \Vm.,  25. 
Peoria,  84. 
Peoria  Ferry,  97. 
Peoria  Indians,  39. 
Peoria  Lake,  92 
Perryville,  266. 
Peru,  Bank  of,  283. 
Peter  the  Great,  died,  25. 
Petroleum  discovered,  25. 
Pettell,  52. 

Phelps,  Erskine  M.,  443. 
Philadelphia  founded,  25. 
Philharmonic  Society,  214. 
Phillips,  Chas.  B.,  251. 
Phonograph  invented,  25. 
Photograph  invented,  25. 
Physicians.  131-3. 
Pianos.     Business  in  Chicago,  135. 

First  in  Chicago,  135,  137. 
Piche,  P.,  100. 
Pierce,   Capt.  L.  W..379. 
Piers.  121,  277. 
Pilgrims,  Landing  of,  15,  17. 
"Pioneer"    first    locomotive,  189,  202-3. 
Pitt,  Fort,  39,  40,  44. 
Pointe  de  Sable,  Jean  Baptiste,  25,  39,  40,  47,  48. 

52,  62 

Politeness,  a  Chicago  Trait,  447. 
Political  Opinion,  Development  of,  224. 
Polk,  President,  193. 
Pomeroy,  Richard.  268. 
Poole,  \Vm.  F  ,  409,  411. 
Pope,  Coleman,  213. 
Population,  153,  255,  274,  403. 


Port  Hudson,  269. 
Portage,  The,  9,  18,  20.  178,  206. 
Portage  River.  48,  56,  63,  185. 
Porter.  Geo.  B.,  105. 

Jeremiah,  124.  125. 
Porthick  :  See  Porthier. 
Porthier,  Jean,  127. 

Joseph.  89.  98. 

Position  of  Chicago.  Geographical,  402. 
Postage  Stamp,  invented,  25. 
Postal  Service. 

In  Early  Days,  143. 

Post  Office.  Early,  128,  143. 

Rates.  Early,  143. 
Pottawattomie    Indians,  8,  11,  13,  48,  54,  68,  86, 

111. 

Pound,  The,  149. 

Prairie  du  Chien,  Massccre  at,  104. 
Prairie  Schooner,  119,  176. 
Presbyterians  :  See  Churches,  Religions. 
Pribyl's  Gun  store,  378. 
Price,  Mrs.  Chas  ,  428. 
Prickett,   D.,  169. 

Prindiville,  Capt.  Redmond,  202,  203,  214. 
Prior,  Edwin  C.,  268. 
Prisons,  149. 
Proctor,  General,  77. 
Prophet,  The,  55. 
Proudfoot,  Lawrence.  276,  277. 
Provisions.  Scarcity  of  in   1834,  138. 
Public  Improvements:  See  Internal  Improvements 
Public  Works,  Board  of,  274. 
Pullman,  George  M.,  71.233.  234,388,  390-9. 
Pullman,   town  of,  71,  234,  388,  400. 

Architecture,  390. 

Corliss  Engine,  390. 

Description  of  town,  394-5. 

Drainage.  390. 

Labor  troubles,  396-9. 

Liquor  Question,  393. 

Origin  of,  388. 

Output  of,  390. 

Piece  work  at,  400. 

Population,  395. 

Present  Condition,  389. 

Public  Health,  393. 

Religion,  394. 

Savings  Bank,  396. 

Schools  in, 389. 

Se.wage  Farm,  391-2. 

Water  Supply,  391. 
Pullman's  Palace  Car  Co.,  234,  412. 
Puritans,  First  Settlement,  17-8. 

Q 

Buebec,  25. 
uirk,  David,  378. 

Col.  James,  378-9. 


R. 

Railroads. 

Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  1. 
Chicago  &  Alton,  1,  233,  245. 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  243. 
Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois,  84. 
Chicago  &  Galena  Union,  176,  189,  203-5, 

216. 

No  faith  in,  205,252. 

Profitable  investment.  205. 
Chicago  &  North- Western,  187,301. 
Illinois  Central,   217,   218,  219,   220.  221, 

245,  251,  252,  266,  318,  319,  436. 


JWDEX. 


465 


Railroads. — Continued. 

Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern,  183  217 
245,  266. 

Michigan  Central,  183,  217,  233 

Wabash,  183. 

Statistics. 

Earnings  in  1857,253. 
Transportation. 

Advantage  to  the  City,  220,  221. 
Elevated  Road,  404. 
Movable  Sidewalk.  404,  436. 
Rapid  Transit.  404. 
World's  Fair  Problem,  436. 
Miscellaneous. 

After  the  Fire,  298,  301,  332. 
Birth  of    American  Railroads,  94. 
Bond-voting,  Early.  163. 
Boston  Capital  in   Western   Roads   183. 
Early  Building,  171,  203,  216. 
Land  Grants,  ?.18. 
Palace  Cars  Begun,  233. 
Railroad  Regiment,  266. 
State  Repaid  by  I.  C.  R.  R.,  219. 
Rau,  Balthazar,  383. 
Ray,  Charles  S.,  343. 
Emily  S.,  342. 

Raymond,  Benjamin  W.,  120,  173,  216,  343,  360. 
Real  Estate. 

Abstracts  of  Title. 

Burnt  Record  Act,  322. 

Record  Offices,  309. 

Record  System,  308. 

Saved  From  the  Fire.  312,313,310. 

Burnt  Record  Act.  322. 

Destruction    of    Records    in    the    Great 

Fire,  293,  307,  308,  312. 
English  &  American,  307. 
Present  System,  320-1. 
Sales. 

1830-7.  156-8. 

1831,  School  Section  sold,  117. 
1835,  Government  Sales,  158. 
1835,  Kinzie  Sales,  144. 
1848,  Newberry  Sales,  406. 
1849-50,  214. 
Values. 

1835-7,  Inflated,  156-7 
1837-8,  Panic,  163-8. 
1842,  Leland  Hotel  Lot,  174. 
1842,  174. 
1853-1891,  159. 

Affected  by  burning  of  records,  322. 
Tremont  House  Lot,  157. 
Reaper  Bank,  283. 
Reaping  Machine  Invented,  25. 
Reaper  Factory,  McCormick  s,  189. 
Rebellion:    See  War. 
Records:    See  Real  Estate. 
"Red  Dog"  Michigan  Currency,  168. 
Reed,  Jas.  H.,  230. 
"  Rehm  "  (fire  engine),  321. 
Rehm,  Jacob,  374. 
Reign  of  Terror,  25. 
Relic  House,  334. 
Relief  Law,  190. 
Relief  Societies:   See  Charities. 
Religion-    See  also  Churches. 
Baptist,  81,  126. 
Congregational,  260. 
Episcopal,  101,  127,  254. 
Methodist,  125.  120. 
Presbyterian,  124,  136. 


Religion:    See  also  Churches. 

Roman  Catholic,  120.  127. 

Unitarian.  260,  296.  330. 

Universalisl,  246. 

Ecclesiastical  Trials.  441. 

First  Religious  Movements,  136. 

Independent  Churches,  442. 

Religious  Growth,  441. 
Missions. 

Baptist,  80,  126. 

Jesuit,  17,  18.  19.  27. 

Methodist,  126. 
Renault,  25. 
Republican  Convention  of  1860. 

The  Balloting,  260. 

Lincoln's  Chances,  258-9. 

Seward's  Chances.  258-9. 

Scenes,  during,  259-60. 
Republican  Party,  255. 
Resaca,  Battle  of,  265. 
"  Rescue,"  Fire  Engine,  319. 
Revolutionary  War,  46-7. 
Reynolds,  Gen.,  379. 

Gov.  John,  103. 
R'alto,  The  (first  Theatre),  181. 
Rice,  John  R.,  189,  212,  213. 
Rice,  Rev.  \V.  H.,  284,  268. 
Riches.  Effect  of,  440. 
Ridgeland,  4. 

Ridges  along  Lake  Shore,  2. 
Rights  of   Landsmen  and  Sailors,  209. 
Riots  :  See  Anarchist  Riot,  Riot  of  1877 
Riot  of  1877. 

Alarm  felt,  381. 

Forces,  Disposition  of,  379. 

Gun  Stores  Raided,  378. 

Militia  Called  out.  377. 

Preparation's  for  Defence.  877-8. 

Regular  Troops  Called  out.  380. 

Subsiding  of  the  Turmoil,  381 

Torrence,  Gen.,  Report  of,  379. 

Violence  and  Bloodshed,  878. 
River.  See  Chicago  River. 

River  and  Harbor  Bill,  120,  189,  192,  1»9,  238. 
Riverside,  III.,  4. 
Roberts.  Edmund.  114,  159. 

Geo.  W.,  X63. 

Robinson,  Alexander,  75,  77,  98,  100.  127. 
Rocheblave  (French  soldier),  25,  33,  37. 
Rodgers,  Henry  A.,  268. 
Rodgers.  John  G.,  340. 
Roman,  Ensign,  64,  67. 
Rookery  Building,  328. 
Roosevelt.  Theodore,  13,  34,  35,  37,  40. 
Root,  John  W.,450. 
Rope  Ferry,  52,  209. 
Rose,  O.  J.,274. 
Rowell,  Henry  L..  268. 
Rudd  &  Childs,  169. 
Rumsey,  George  F..  344. 

I'ulian  S.,  344,345. 
Runyan,  E.  F.,367. 
Rush  Street  Iron   Bridge,  251-2. 

Rope  Ferry,  52,  209. 
Russell.  J.  B    F.;  112 
Martin  J.,  307. 
Wm.  H.,  281. 
Ryan.  Michael.  184. 
Sergeant,  378. 
Thomas,  159. 
Ryder.  W.  H.,  343. 
Ryerson,  Joseph  T.,  249,341. 


466 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Sacs  and  Foxes,  25,  30,  32. 
St.  Ange  de  Bellerive,  25. 
St.  Clair,  Gen.,  50.  61. 

J.  W.,  422. 
St.  Clair  Lake,  81. 
St.  Cosme  (Cinq-Hommes),  82~>. 
St.  Cyr,  Father,  127. 
St.  Ignace,  26. 

St.  James  Church  :  See  Churches. 
St.  Joseph,  Mich..  48.  74. 
St.  Lawrence  Gulf,  23. 

River.  1,  10,  21,  30. 
St.  Louis,  Mo  ,  9,  25,  28,  50. 
St.  Louis,  Fort,  27. 
Saint  Pierre,  15. 
Salem  Witchcraft,  25. 
Salisbury,  Mrs.  M.  B..428. 
Saloman,  Col.  Edward  S.,  265. 
"  Saloon  Building,"  143. 
Samson,  Geographer,  8. 
Sandusky,  3. 

Sanitary  Commission,  271. 
Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  34,  50. 
Sauganash,  The,  76,  123. 

Hotel,  100. 
Savings  Banks  :    See  Banks  &  Banking. 

See  also  Pullman. 
Sawyer,  Sidney,  160. 
Scalping,  12,  14,  30,  34. 
Scammon,  F.,  343. 

Jonathan   Young,   141,  182,  191,  205,  212, 

216,  283,  343,  344. 
Schaumbeck.  Frederick,  268. 
Schnaubelt,  Rudolph,  383. 
Schneider,  George,  284,  327,  352,  353. 
Schoolcraft,  H.  R.,  85,  86,  92. 

John  L.,  195. 
Schools. 

Convention  of  1846,  400. 

First  Public  School   Building,  189 

Indian  Education,  123. 

Newberry  School,  406. 

Sale  of  School  Section,  116,  117. 

Shelters  after  the  Fire,  299. 

School  Teachers. 
Chappel,  Miss  EHza,  123. 
Forbes,  Stephen,  122. 
Sproal,  Granville  T.,  123. 
Warren,  Miss  Sarah  L.,  123. 
Watkins,  John,  123. 

Statistics  of  Public  Schools,  403. 

Wells'  History,  116. 
Schurz,  Carl,  433. 
Schuyler,  Gen'l,  34. 

Robert,  244. 
Schuyler  Fraud,  244 
Schwab,  Michael,  383,  385. 
Scott,  Joseph.  R.,  1,  268. 

Capt.  Martin.  93. 

Sir  Walter,  born,  25. 

Gen'l  Winfield,  131,  255. 
Scrip,  Canal.  168. 

City,  168. 

Counterfeit,  170. 

Fac  Similes,  169.  171. 
"  Sea  Bird  "  Wreck  of  the,  273. 
Seavey,  Police  Capt.,  3T8. 
Sections,  Government,  115-6. 
Seeberger,  A   F.,  422. 
Seward,  William  H.,  257-9. 
Sewell,  Alfred  L.,  306. 
Sewerage  :   See  Drainage 

See  also  Pullman,  Town  of. 


Sewing  Machines  Invented,  25. 
Seymour,  James,  203. 
Shaffner,  Gen.,  379. 
Shaubena,  104.  108. 
Shaw  nee-aw-kee,  74,  108. 
Sheahan  &  Upton,  306. 
"Shecaugo,"  8. 
"Shegahg,"  8. 
"Shegau  ga-winzhe,"  8. 
Sheldon.  Edwin  H.,  145,  344. 
Sheldon  Thompson,  steamer.,  131. 
Sherer,  Col.  S.   B.,37«. 
Sheridan,  Genl.  Philip,  301,  313. 

Mrs.  Philip.  51. 
Sherman,  A.  S.,229. 

Col.  Francis  T.,  266. 

Frank,  195. 

John  B.,  367. 
Sherman   House,  321. 
Sherwood,  Thomas,  194. 
Shields,  James,  218. 
Shiloh,  Battle  of,  264,  265,  267. 
Shock,  Mr.,  333. 
Shortall.  J.  G.,  310-18.  346. 
Shortall  &  Hoard,  309,  311. 
Sibley,  Solomon.  86. 
Sidewalks  Impeded.  446, 
Sidewalks,  Early,  215. 
Siette,  de,  25,  32. 
Simpson,  Genl.,  273. 
Six  Nations  Indians,  46. 

Skinner,  Judge  Mark,    147.   160,  180,  194,   223, 
249,  341,344,  407,  408,  411. 

Richard,  268 
Skokie,  The,  4,  8. 
Slavery. 

Anti-Slavery  Movement.  224,  248-9,  255. 
Sleeping  Cars,  Development  of,  233-4. 
Smallwood,  W.  A..  343. 
Smith.  Dr.  D.  S.,234. 

George,  205,  242,  247,  284. 

George  C.,  26S. 

Henry,  230. 
v       Capt.  James,  261. 
Smith,  Judge,  113. 

Perry  H.,  Jr.,  341. 

S.  L.,  194. 

Sidney,  358. 
Smith  &  Nixon.  313. 
Smoke  Nuisance.  445,446. 
Snow,  George  W.,  112,  230. 
Societies. 

A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  346. 

Art  Institute.  346. 

G.  A.  R..  346. 

I.O.  p.  F.,'346. 

Illinois  Humane  Society,  345. 

Harmonic  :  See  Music. 

Loyal  Legion.  346. 

Military,  346. 

Philharmonic  :  See  Music. 

Secret,  346. 

W.  C.  T.  U..  345. 

Y.  M   C.  A..  345. 

See  also  Clubs,  Music. 
Society  in  Chicago. 

Amusements  in  Early  Days,  139. 

Aristocracy.  338. 

Church  Gatherings,  136,  137. 

Hospitality  and  Benevolence,  336. 

North.  South  and  West  Sides,  335. 

Present  Aspect  of.  437-51. 

Public  Exhibition,  earliest.  141. 

Re-organization  after  the  Fire,  335. 


467 


Society  in  Chicago. — Continue J. 

Wealth  as  a  factor  in,  337. 
Somerville,  Capt.  W.,  358. 
South  Park  )  c 

Southwest  Boulevard  fSee  Park  System. 
Specie  Payments  Suspended,  165,  167   175 
Spencer,  D.  D.,  353. 

Edward  H.,  272. 
J.  C..  195. 

Spies,  August,  383,  385. 
Spink,  John  W.,  268. 
Sprague.  O.  S.  A.,  347. 
Sproat,  Granville  Temple,  123. 
Stage  Lines,  180,  181. 
Standish,  Miles.  43. 
Stanford,  Geo.  W.,  367. 
Stanwix  Treaty,  Fort,  46. 
Starring,  Col.  F.  A.,  265. 
Starved  Rock.  13,  22,  27,  33. 
State  Bank  fails,  166. 

Bonds.  1836-7,  161. 

Debt,  165.  166. 
Savings  Institution,  284. 
Steamboat  invented,  25. 
Steam   Engine  invented,  25. 
Steele,  George,  230. 
Stewart,   Hon.  Andrew,  196. 

A.  T.,322. 

Genl.  Hart  L.,  216,  230,  265. 

J.  T.,  150 

Stiles,  Genl.  Isaac  N.,  443. 
Stockton,  John,  313,  318. 

Genl.  Joseph.  139,  256,  265,  313.  318,  374. 
Stockyards,  277,  279. 
Stokes,  Genl    James  H.,  267,  269. 
Stone,  D  ,  150. 

Melville  E.,  443. 
Stone  River.  Battle  of,  264. 
Storrow.  Judge  Samuel  A.,  85. 
Storrs,  Emery  A.,  358. 
Strachan  &  Scott,  242. 
Streets  after  the  Fire,  330. 

Draining.  140,  230. 

Laying   Out,  114,  117. 

Mud  in  Early  Days,  140. 
Nuisance  at  Present,  445-6. 

Naming,  114.  116,  117. 

Numbering,  212,222. 

Raising,  141. 

Street  Cars,  Women  in,  447. 
Strikes,  See  Labor  Troubles. 
Strode,  Col.  J.  M.,  175. 
Strong,  Wm.  E  .  410. 
Stuart,  David,  268. 

Robert,  83. 

Sturges,  James  D  .  279. 
Sturges  &  Buckingham,  318,  319. 
Sumter,  Fort,  260. 
"Sunbeam,"   Wreck  of  the,  273. 
Sweet,  Genl.  B.  J..':70. 
Swett,  Leonard,  358. 
Swift,  Elijah.  242. 

Genl.  R.  K.,  242.  245,  261,  262.  284. 

Capt.  Wm.  H..  113,  184. 
Swing,  Rev.  David.  441-3. 

T. 

Taney,  Justice,  249. 
Tannery,  Miller's,  152. 
Taxes,  1825,  100. 

1836-1840,  153. 

Taxpayers  in  1825.  List  of,  100. 
Taylor,  Anson  N.,  90. 

E.  D.,  112. 

E.  S.,374. 


Tecumseh.  50,  58,  76.  77. 

Telegraph  Invented.  25. 

Telephone        "          25. 

Temple,  Dr.  John  T.,  110,  126.  12!».  180. 

Ten  Regiments  Bill.  262. 

Tennyson,  Lord.  433. 

Territorial  Government  Organized,  48. 

Texas,  23. 

Theatres. 

Early  Program,  212,  213. 

First  Stock  Company,  213. 

Grand  Opera  House,  222,  223. 

McVicker's,  443 

Rialto,  181. 

Rice's,  189,  212-14,  223. 

New  Theater,  223. 
Tremont  Hall.  214.  223. 
Thielemann,  Col.  Christian,  267. 
Thomas.  Rev.  Hiram  W..  441-3. 
Judge  Jesse  B.,  215. 
Theodore,  433. 
Thompson.  Harvev  L.,  369. 
Jacob,  270.  ' 
James,  114. 
Lieut.  James,  93. 

Thompson's  Bank  Note  Reporter,  243. 
Thornton,  W.  F.,  169-71. 
Throop,  George,  268. 

Tidal  Waves  in  Lake  Michigan,  231".  240. 
Tilden,  S.  J.,  145.  358. 
Times.  Chicago:  See  newspapers. 
Tinkham,  Edward  L,  249,  283,  341,  343. 

Mrs.  Smith,  271. 
Tippecanoe  Hall.  127. 
Todd,  John,  25,  36,  43,44. 
Toledo,  3. 

Tonty,  9,21,  22,24-6 

To-pee-nee-bee,  "Topenebe,"  12,  64,  65.  83. 
Torrence,  Gen.  Joseph  T.,  377,  379. 
Townships,  115,  116. 
Trades. 

Fur  Trade.  81,^83. 
Grain  Trade,  279. 
Lumber.  283. 

Provisions:  See  "  Packing  Industry." 
Stock  Yards.  277,  279. 
Tannery,  152. 

Trades  and  Manufactures,  40 years  com  pared.  451. 
Trades  Unions.  376. 

See  also  "  Labor  Troubles 
Transportation  Problem:  See  "  Railroads." 
Trautman,  Frank,  294. 
Mrs.  Ralph.  428. 
Treaties  with  Indians: 
Gen   Cass's.  82. 
Greenville,  O.,  49,  79. 
Fort  Stanwix,  40. 
Last  at  Chicago,  1833,  105-7. 
Tree,  Lambert,  347. 
Tremont  Hall.  214,  223. 
Tremont  House,  157,  231.  232. 
Tribune.  Chicago,  147,  160.  244.  24*.  259.  330. 
Tucker.  Joseph  F..  222,  318. 

Joseph  H.,  261,269. 
Tuley."  Judge  M.  F.,  191. 
Tunnels. 

LaSalle  Street,  280,  281. 
Washington  Street,  281. 
Waterworks.  230.  274. 
Turchin.  Col.  John  B..  262. 
Turner.  John  B.,  229,  374. 
Tuthill,  Gen'l  Richard  S..  261. 
Tutton,  Deputy.  358. 
Tweed  Ring.  359. 
Twelfth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  261. 


468 


THE  STORY   OF  CHICAGO. 


U. 

Underground  Railroad,  225,  226. 
Union  Defence  Committee,  260,  261. 
Union  National  Bank,  350. 
Union  Veteran  Club,  346. 
United  States. 

War  declared  against  England,  56. 
Upton,  George  P.,  222,  306. 
Utica,  III.,  27. 

V. 

Valley  Forge,  42. 

Van  Arman,  Col.  John,  261,  266. 

Van  Buren,  Martin,  195. 

Van  Voorhees,  Dr.  Isaac,  66-8,  131. 

Varian,  Margaretta,  342. 

Vaughan,  J.  C.,  249. 

Vaults  in  the  Fire,  350. 

Versailles,  Treaty  of,  44. 

Vesey,  Lieut.,  378. 

Veteran  Union  League,  346. 

Vicksburg,  Siege  of,  265-9. 

Victoria,  born,  25. 

Village  like  Characteristics  of  Chicago,  446. 

Vincennes.  17.  36,  39,  40,  42,  44. 

Virginia,  36,  39,  42-4,  48. 

Voltaire,  25. 

Vos,  Col.  Arno,  267. 

W 

Wabash.  "  Ouabache,"  30,  32,  40,  41. 
Wabash  Land  Company,  47. 
Wadsworth,  E.  S.,  331. 
Wagner,  Assault  of  Fort,  264. 
Waite,  C.  B.,249. 

G.  W.,  202. 
Walker,  Capt.  A.,  131. 

Charles,  172,  185. 

Edwin,  422. 

George  C.,  345. 

Isaac,  252. 

Rev.  Jesse,  126. 

M.  O.,  181. 

Walker  Bronson  &  Co.,  245. 
Wallace,  98. 

Judge  M.  R.  M.,266. 
Waller,  Thomas  M.,  422. 
Walpole,  Thomas.  46. 
Walsh,  John  R.,  315. 
Wa-nan-ga  peth,  62. 
War. 

Revolutionary,  1775-1783. 

Clark,  George  Rogers,  36-45. 

English  Alliance  with  Indians,  34. 

English  Headquarters  at  Detroit,  34. 

Hamilton, "Hair-buyer  General,"  34,39,40. 

Indians  at  Kaskaskia,  36.  37. 

Killing  of  Col.  Crawford,  35. 
"     John  Todd,  44. 

Massacres  by  Indians,  34,  35. 

Rocheblave's    surrender   of    Ft.    Kaskas- 
kia, 37. 

Vincennes  captured  by  Hamilton,  40. 
Recaptured  by  Clark,  42. 

See  also  Clark,  G.  R. 
1812. 

Fort  Mackinac  surrenders,  56. 

Hull  orders  Ft.  Dearborn  evacuated,  56,59. 

Massacre  at  Ft.  Dearborn,  66-71. 

United  States  declares  War,  56. 

See  also  Detroit,  etc. 
Mexican. 

Chicago  Companies,  191. 

General  Taylor's  Invasion,  191. 

Volunteers  called  for,  191. 


Rebellion. 

Battles  of 

Arkansas  Post,  266. 
Ashby's  Gap,  268,  269. 
Atlanta,  264. 
Bentonville,  265,  266. 
Beverly,  268. 
Chancellorsville,  265. 
Chickamauga,  264,  267. 
Fayetteville,  266. 
Fort  Donelson,  264-5,  267,  269. 
Fort  Wagner,  264. 
Franklin,  265. 
Gettysburg,  265,266,269. 
Kernstown,  262. 
Lexington,  Mo.,  262. 
Mission  Ridge   264,  266. 
Murfreesboro,  264.  266. 
Nashville,  266,  267. 
Pea  Ridge,  264. 
Peach  Tree  Creek,  264,  265. 
Perryville,  266. 
Resaca,  265. 
Shiloh,  264,  265,  267. 
Stone  River,  284. 
Vicksburg,  265,  267. 
Chicago  Artillery. 

Battery  A,  267. 

Battery  B  (Bridge's),  267. 

Battery  L  (Bolton's),  267. 

Battery  M  (Phillips').  267. 

Board  of  Trade  Battery,  267. 

Bonton's  Chicago  Battery,  237. 

Chicago  Mercantile  Battery,  267. 
Chicago  Companies. 

Highland  Guards,  262. 

Light  Artillery,  261. 

Light  Infantry,  261. 

Lincoln  Rifles.  261. 

Turner  Union  Cadets,  261. 

Zouaves,  261. 
•     Chicago  Regiments 
Cavalry. 

Fourth,  266. 

Eighth,  266. 

Ninth,  266. 

Twelfth,  266.  267 

Thirteenth,  267. 

Sixteenth,  267. 

Seventeenth,  267. 
Infantry. 

Twelfth,  261,  262. 

Nineteenth,  262. 

Twenty-third.  262. 

Twenty  fourth,  "Hecker  Jaeger  Regt.," 
262. 

Thirty-seventh,  "  Fremont  Rifle  Regt.," 
264. 

Thirty-ninth.  "  Yates  Phalanx,"  264. 

Forty-second.  264. 

Fifty-first,  ''Chicago  Legion,"  264. 

Fifty  seventh,  "  National  Guards,"  264. 

Fifty  eighth,  "McClellan  Brigade,"265. 

Sixty-fifth,  "  Scotch  Regiment,"  265. 

Seventy-second, "Board  of  Trade  Regt. ," 
265. 

Eighty-second, "Second  Haecker  Regt.," 
265. 

Eighty-eighth,  "Second  Board  of  Trade 
Regt.,  "266. 

Eighty-ninth.  "Railroad  Regt. ,"266. 

Ninetieth,  "  Irish  Legion,"  266. 

One  Hundred-thirteenth,  "Third  Board 
of  Trade  Regt.,"  266. 

One  Hundred  twenty  seventh,  266. 


INDEX. 


469 


Rebellion. — Continued. 
Miscellaneous. 
Andersonville,  270. 
Camp  Douglas,  269,  270. 
Conspiracy,  270. 
Fort  Sumter,  260. 
Illinois   Militia  in  1860,  261. 
Medill,  Major,  Biography  of,  268-9 
Officers  Killed,  268. 

Republican  Convention  of  1860,  257-60. 
Sanitary  Commission,  271. 
Ten  Regiments  Bill,  262. 
Union  Defence  Committee,  2GO-1,  263. 
Volunteers,  First  Call  for,  261. 
War  Dance,  Indian,  108-110. 
Ward,  Police  Captain,  385,  386. 
Wardner,  Philip  J.,  342. 
Warner,  Julia  A.,  342. 
Warren,  Miss  Sarah  L.,  124. 
Washburne,  Elihu  B.,  216,  284. 

Hempstead,  361. 
Washington,  Augustine,  46. 

George,  25,  33,  34,  42.  46 
Lawrence,  46. 
Washington  Heights,  5. 
Washington  Union,  197. 
Waterman,  J.  S.,  344. 
Waters.  Captain.  379. 
Watershed,  Northwestern,  1. 
Waterworks. 

Account  of  First,  184,  189. 
Commissioners,  229. 
Crib  and  Tunnel,  230,  274,  275. 
Imperfections  of,  229,  230. 
In  1854.  229. 
In  the  Fire.  289,  294. 
Primitive  Piping,  190. 
Watkins.  E.  T.,  344. 

John,  123. 

Waubansa  Stone,  154,  155. 
Waubansee,  68. 
Wau  bee-nee-mah,  69. 
"  Wau-Bun,"  Mrs.  Kinzie's  Book,  54,  57,  59,  60 

65,  67,  69,  72,  74,  77-80,  94. 
Waukegan  Point,  4,  272. 
Waves,  Damage  by,  205-9,  220,  230. 
Wayne,  Fort,  57.  59.  61. 
Wayne,  Genl.  Anthony,  49,  50,  61,  62. 
Wealth  in  Chicago,  336.  439,  440. 

None  based  on  public  plunder,  445. 
Weatherford,  Wm.,  105. 
Webb,  Wm.  A.,  264. 
Webster,  Daniel,  155,  195. 

Genl.  J.  D.,  199.  231,  341,  343. 
Weed,  Rev.  Ira  M.,215. 

Thurlow,  195,  107-9. 
Wells,  Capt.  E.,  191. 
H.  W.,242. 
Samuel,  61. 
Capt    Wm.,  50,  61,  62,  64-7,  73,  74,  114, 

317. 

W.  H..116,  123. 
Wentworth.  Elijah,  96. 
Elijah,  Jr..  128. 

John,  M,57,  67,  72,  74,  75,  119.  128,  129, 
131,  135,  147, 157, 180,  184,  218  237,249, 
344 

Western  News  Co.,  315. 
Wheeler,  John  S.,  182. 
Whisky,  56,  59,  60,  83. 
Whisky  Ring. 

Cabinet  Implicated,  357. 
Distilleries  Seized.  358. 
Frauds  in  1875.  357. 
Indemnity  to  Informers,  359. 


Whiskey  Ring. — Continutii. 

Internal  Revenue  Tax,  857. 

Penalties  Inflicted,  359 

Trial,  358. 
Whistler,  Major  George.  50. 

Gwenthlean,  See  Mrs.  Robt.  A.  Kinzie. 

Capt.  John,  48.50. 

John  Harris  53. 

Major  Wm.,  50,  51,  132,  177. 

Mrs.  Wm.,50, 51. 
White,  Andrew  D.,  195.  433. 

Julius,  264. 

Liberty,  54. 

White  Cloud,  The  Prophet,  104. 
Whitehouse,  Wm    Fitz  Hugh,  416. 
White  Raccoon,  Indian  Chief   69. 
Whittier,  J.G.,  433. 
Wicker,  Charles  G.,  260. 
Wilcox,  I.  N.,  345. 
Wilder  Charles].,  268. 
Wild  fowl,  4. 

Game  in  Early  Days,  141,  148. 
Wildcat  Banks.     See  Banks  and  Banking. 
Wilemet      See  Ouillemette. 
Wilkes,  George.  199. 
Wilkins,  Mrs.  Beriah,  428. 
Wilkinson,  Genl. ,50. 
Willard,  E.  W.,  260. 
Williams,  Capt.,  379 

E.  B.,  194. 

E.  S.,  342. 

Wilmette.  town  of.  448. 
Williamsburg,  Va.,  44. 
Wilson.  C.  H.,  213. 

Capt.  John.  272. 

Judge  John  M.,  260. 

Martha  A.,  342. 

Mr.,  147. 

W.  D..  194. 

Winnebago  Indians,  67,  89,  90. 
"Winnebago  Scare,"  89,  90. 
Winnemeg,  12.  56,  57. 
Winnetka.  4,  272.  273. 
Winston,  Frederick  H.,  374. 

Frederick  S.,  422. 
Winter  of   1834,  Severity  of,  138. 
Wisconsin  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company. 

242. 

Witchcraft,  Salem,  25. 
Withrow,  Thomas  F.,  374. 

Wolcott,    Dr.   Alexander,  53,  64.  86.  87,  90,  91. 
95,  98,  100,  114,  131,  159.  192. 

Mrs.  Alexander,  53,  64,  91,  95,  107. 
Wolf  Point,  98. 

Women's  Christian  Temperance  L'nion,  345. 
Woman  in  Chicago,  441. 

Courtesy  towards,  447. 
Woman's  Rights,  441. 

Sphere  of  Labor,  441. 

In  the  World's  Fair,  431. 
Wood.  A.  C..  173.  206. 

Eliphalet,  261. 
Woodard,  Willard,  369. 
Woodbridge,  John,  Jr.,  342. 
Woodruff  &  Childs,  170. 
Woodworth.   James  H..  182,  185. 
Work,  Value  of  in  Chicago.  489,  440. 
World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

Preliminary  efforts. 

Chicago'  fitness  as  the  Site,  41!*. 

Contest  for  Location.  419. 

Hotels  pledged  against  extortion,  420. 

Incorporation,  418 

Subscriptions  and  Stock.  419. 


470 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition. — Continued. 
Executive. 

Departments,  421. 

Lady  Managers.  428-30. 

Management.  421. 

Officers,  422. 

World's  Congress  Auxiliary,  422.  433. 
Features. 

Dedication,  420. 

Exhibits,  424. 

Grounds,  Description  of,  425,  42t>. 

Military  Display,  427. 

Naval  Review,  420. 

Watercourses,  425. 

Women's  Work,  431. 

World's  Thinkers,  Congress  of,  433 
Reports. 

Mrs.  Potter  Palmer's,  430-1. 

President  Gage's.  425-6. 

Present   Aspect,  435. 
Statistics. 

Appropriation's,  Foreign.  425 
State,  423. 

Expenditures,  425. 

Previous  Fairs,  425. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition. — Continued. 
System. 

Building  Materials.  435. 
Plans,  434. 

Expenses,  434. 

Fire  Department,  434. 

Insurance,  434. 

Plans  and  Specifications,  420.  423. 

Sewerage,  435. 

Transportation  Problem,  436 
Worthy,  John.  374. 
Wrecks:  See  Lake  Navigation. 
Wright,  Ann  D.,  1«9. 

Joseph  C,  268. 

Mr.,  294. 

Silas,  195. 
Wynbago:  See  Winnebago. 

Y 

Yates,  Governor,  261. 
Yoe,  P.  L.,  260. 
Yorktown  taken,  25. 
Young,  Judge,  133. 

M.  H.  de,  422. 
Young   Men's    Christian    Association,  270,  345, 

406. 


MAJOR    KIRKLAND'S    THREE    WESTERN    NOVELS.          471 

HE  WEST  is  the  fairest  work  ever  done  by 
kind  Mother  Nature,  and  when  she  made 
it  she  made  (as  Znry  says)  "the  poottiest 
kedntry  that  ever  laid  on'  doors."  Then  when 
she  brought  white  folks  to  people  it  she 
picked  them  out,  the  best,  brightest,  bravest 
and  hardest-working  folks  the  sun  ever  shone 
upon.  But  when  she  had  brought  the  people 
and  the  prairies  together  she  left  them  to 
fight  it  out  as  best  they  could.  She  didn't 
give  them  any  easy  job ! 

How  did  Zury  come  in?  A  boy  tramping 
beside  a  "  prairie  schooner  "  with  his  father, 
mother  and  sister,  not  to  speak  of  two  mares 
and  colts,  one  cow  and  calf,  and  last,  but  not 
least,  "Ole  Shep"  the  dog.  And  how  did 
Zury  come  out  ?  The  richest  man  in  Spring 
County,  and  (for  a  good  part  of  his  life)  the 

meanest.     One  whole  chapter  of  "Zury"  is  devoted  to  tales  showing 

"How  the  meanest  man 

got  so  mean  and  how 

mean  he  got."     But  as 

Zury  himself  says: 

"Honest!  Me?  Wai,  I  guess 
so.  Fustly,  I  wouldn't  be  noth'n 
else,  nohoaw ;  seck'ndly  I  kin 
afford  t'  be,  seein'  as  haow  it 
takes  a  full  bag  to  stand  alone  ; 
thirdly,  I  can't  afford  to  be 
noth'n'  else,  'cause  honesty's 
the  best  policy." 

And  as  one  of  his 
neighbors  expressed  it: 

"Th1  ain't  noth'n  mean  abaout 
Zewry,  mean  as  he  is.  Gimme  a 
man  that  sez  right  oatit  look 
aout  fer  yourself  and  I  kin  git 
along  with  him.  It's  there  h'yer 
sneakin'  fellers  that's  one  thing 
afore  your  face  and  another  be- 
hind yer  back,  th't  I  can't 
abide  " 

Did  Zury  stay  mean 
all  his  life?  No.  As  his 
friends  all  say,,  "not  by 
a  long  shot !"  There 
came  to  Spring  County 
a  charming  young 
Yankee  School-ma-am, 
Anne  Sparrow,  and 
then  there  was  a  school 
exhibition  where  Anne 
was  dressed  up  as  a 
puritan  maiden,  and 
then  —  many  things  ANNE  SPARROW  AS  "THE  PI'RITAN  MAIDEN.' 


472 


THE    STORY   OF   CHICAGO. 


happened — She  married  one  McVey  and  was  soon  a  widow  with  a  boy 
and  girl,  living  and  thriving  at  the  growing  town  of  Springville.  And 
to  Springville  Zury  followed  her  and  watched  the  children  grow  up 
strong  and  fine  while  she  stayed  young  and  fair.  The  boy  became 
engineer  on  the  Galena  railroad,  driving  the  old  "  Pioneer  "  the  "  first 
engine  that  ever  turned  a  wheel  in  Chicago."  (By  the  way,  the 
Pioneer  is  still  on  deck  in  the  North  Western  R.  R.  shops.) 


THE   PIONEER   AS  SHE   LOOKS   IN    1X92. 

Long  wooing  brought  Zury's  reward  at  last,  and  pretty  Anne 
Sparrow-McVey,  made  him  happy,  also  made  him  a  gentleman  out- 
wardly as  he  had  always  been  at  heart  'though  under  a  very  deep 
disguise';  and  made  him  the  soul  of  benevolence  and  liberality. 

It  takes  one  book  ("  Zury  ")  to  tell  of  life  on  Zury's  farm,  and 
another  ("  McVey's ")  to  tell  of  life  at  Springville  and  Chicago— 
with  a  glimpse  of  Lincoln,  Douglas,  David  Davis,  etc. — and  bring 
Zury  and  Anne  together.  Of  these  two  books,  Hamlin  Garland  in  the 
Boston  Transcript  says: 

But  the  full  revelation  of  the  inexhaustible  wealth  of  native  American  material 
.  .  .  will  come  to  the  Eastern  reader  with  the  reading  of  "  Zury."  .  .  .  It  is  as 
native  to  Illinois  as  Tolstoi's  "Anna  Karenina"  and  Tourguenieff's  "  Father  and 
Son"  are  to  Russia,  its  descriptions  are  so  infused  with  real  emotion  and  so 
graphic.  The  book  is  absolutely  unconventional  .  .  .  not  a  trace  of  the  old-world 
literature  or  society — and  every  character  is  new  and  native.  .  .  The  heroine  is  a 
Boston  girl,  .  .  a  bouncing,  resolute  and  very  frank  personage,  able  to  care  for  her- 
self in  any  place.  The  central  figure  ...  is  Zury.  This  is  a  great  and  con- 
sistent piece  of  character  painting.  He  fills  the  book  with  his  presence  and  his 
inimitable  comments  upon  life  and  society.  A  man  whose  better  nature  flowered 
late. 

"  McVeys:  An  Episode,"  has  the  sincerity  of  history,  and  while  one  reads  it 
he  is  in  the  very  atmosphere  of  Spring  County.       The  surveying  crew,  the  railroad 


MAJOR  KIRKLAND'S    THREE    WESTERN  NOVELS. 


473 


building  and  final  jubilee,  the  lead  mining,  all  goon  under  the  eye,  and  Springville 
itself,  though  touched  but  generally  in  description,  is  always  present  as  the  setting. 
The  story  is  not  strictly  a  continuation  of  "Zury,"  but  is  an  "  episode;"  that  is  to 
say,  the  reader's  attention  is  transferred  from  Wayback  to  Springville  and  centered 
around  Anne  (Sparrow)  McVey,  who  married  and  moved  to  Springville  in  the  his- 
tory of  "  Zury."  The  story  of  Anne  and  her  children  forms  the  connecting  thread 
of  a  book  of  great  power  and  freshness.  .  .  .  Listen  to  this  conversation  between 
Phil  (cashier  of  the  surveying  crew)  and  the  widow  Tansey  relative  to  the  charges 

for  feeding  and  lodg- 
ing eight  men  : 
"  How  much  is  it  ?" 
"Oh,  I  didn't 'llaow  to 
charge  ye  nothin'!  'T  ain't 
aour   way    hereabouts  to 
take    folks'    money   that 
stops  with  us  fer  a  meal  'o 
vittles  er  a  night's  lodg- 
inM" 

"Well,  that's  all  right 
for  just  common  way- 
farers, but  you  see  here 
are  eight  of  us,  and  the 
railroad  hires  us  and  pays 
our  expenses." 

"T  wouldn't  cost  ye  a 
cent,  hey?" 
"  Not  a  cent." 
"  Wai,    then,    would  a 
dollar  be  out  o'  the  way?" 


"TheMcVeys,"  by 
the  author  of  "Zury," 
one  of  the  strangest 
novels  of  late  years, 
will  attract  man}' 
readers.  It  has  feat- 
ures in  common  with 
the  earlier  tale,  but  it 
is  much  better  con- 
structed and  will 
afford  the  reader  a 
higher  degree  of 
pleasure.  —  Cleveland 
Sun. 

It  is  full  of  humor, 
of  quaint  wit  and  wis- 
dom, with  sufficient 
love  and  tragedy  to 
lend  vivid  interest  to 
the  plot. — Mid-Conti- 
nent, St.  Louis. 


THE    STORY   OF   CHICAGO. 

}  AR  for  the  Union  broke  out  and  patriotism 
swept  the  West  like  a  prairie  fire.  As 
private  Mulvany  says:  "  That  is  another 
story;"  and  another  story  it  makes,  "The 
Captain  of  Company  K  ";  in  which  western 
men  develop  into  patriotic  heroes. 

Following  the  good' practice  of  "letting 
the  other  men  do  the  talking,"  here  are 
some  of  the  innumerable  favorable  reviews 
which  came  crowding  in  after  the  publica- 
tion of  "  The  Captain  of  Company  K." 

"The  Captain  of  Company  K,"  by  Joseph 
Kirkland,  is  one  of  the  very  few  later  stories  of  '61 
which  cannot  fail  to  interest  everybody.  To  those 
readers  who  are  already  acquainted  with  Mr.  Kirk- 
land's  "  Zury  "  and  "The  McVeys,"  and  they  are 
not  a  few,  "  Company  K  "  will  be  a  double  treat, 
as  it  carries  some  of  the  delightful  characters  he  has  portrayed  in  them  through  the 
scene  of  the  great  rebellion.  The  style  of  the  book  is  clearly  hinted  at  in  its  unique 


COMPANY   K    AT  THE   BATTLE   OF.  SHILOH.       P. 


dedication  to  "The  survivingmen  of  the  firing  line;  who  could  see  the  enemy  in  front 
of  them  with  the  naked  eye,  while  they  would  need  a  field-glass  to  see  the  history- 
makers  behind  them."  The  private's  impressions  of  war,  formed  in  the  teeth  of 
musketry,  may  be  of  less  value  to  accurate  history  than  the  view  from  the  epaulette 
quarter,  but  for  dramatic  purposes  the  foot-soldier's  story  is  best,  as  Mr.  Kirkland 
proves  by  his  success  with  a  military  novel. — Kingston  (N.  Y.~)  Freeman. 

I  read  the  story  at  one  sitting  and  morning  found  me  closing  the  volume.  You 
have  written  a  true  book.  That  intimate  image  of  certain  phases  of  the  civil  war 
which  the  mind's  eye  of  the  soldier  alone  retains,  and  which,  already  dimmed  by 
years,  would  have  been  blotted  forever,  has  been  caught  and  fixed  in  literature. — 
.Ifti/or  Henry  A.  Huntington. 

ZURY;  THE  MEANEST  MAN  IN  SPRING  COUNTY,  one  voi.,cioth,  $1.75 
THE  MCVEYS;  AN  EPISODE,  -  -  One voi.,ciotn, $1.25 

THE  CAPTAIN  OF  COMPANY  K,  Illustrated,  One  Vol.,  Cloth,  $1.OO 

The  Three  Volumes  Together  $3.OO. 

Any  or  all  sent  carriage  prepaid,  on  receipt  of  price,  by 

DIBBLE  PUBLISHING  CO.,  26O  CLARK  ST.,  CHICAGO. 


AMERICAN  POETRY  AND  ART. 


475 


O  WORLD  upon  the  hurry- 
ing train, 

Fly  on  your  way !   For  me, 

A  saunterer  through  the 
slighted  lane, 

A  dreamer,  let  me  be. 

My  footsteps  pass  away  in 
flowers, 

So  fragrant  all  I  meet: 

Use  all  the  minutes  of  the  hours. 

The  days  die  here  so  sweet 

A  Page  from  "American  Poetry  and  Art.       See  Page  478-479. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


1607A  LIBRARY  OF  AMERICAN  LITERATDRE.J891 

In  Eleven  Elegant  Large  Octavo  Volumes,  with  over  6,000  Pages,  Handsomely 
Illustrated  with  160  Full-page  Portraits.    Compiled  and  Edited  by 

EDMUND    CLARENCE    STEDMAN    AND    ELLEN    MACKAY    HUTCHINSON. 


From  HON.  JOHN  BIGKLOW,  Ex-l'uited  States  Minister  to  France. 

21  GRAMERCY  PARK,  Nov.  22,  1889. 

This  library  is  one  thing  at  least  we  may  exhibit  at  the  GREAT  FAIR  of  1892,  without  the  slightest  apprehen- 
sion of  any  competition  from  abroad.  I  do  not  know  of  aiiy  greater  tribute  that  has  ever  been  paid  by  the  nation  to 
Columbus,  or  indeed  can  be.  JOHN  BIGKLOW. 


arranged  chronologically,  so  that  the  trend  ol  thought 
viewed  as  reflected  in  the  great  writers  of  that  period. 


CONTENTS: 


Vo, 

V.! 


I.— EARLY  COLONIAL  LITERATURE,  1607-11)75. 
.    II. — LATER  COLONIAL  LITERATURE,  1676-1754. 
.  III.— LITERATURE  OK  THE  REVOLUTION,  1765-1787. 
.  IV. — LITERATURE    OF    THE    REPUBLIC,    Coustitu- 
onal  Period.  1788-1820. 

V.— LITERATURE  or  THE  REPUBLIC,  1821-1834. 
s.  VI.,  VII.,  VIII.— LITERATURE  OK  THE  REPUBLIC, 


1S35-1860. 


Vols.  IX..  X.,  XL— LITERATURE  OF  THE  REPUBLIC.  Isiil- 
1891.  Fully  representing  writers  that  have  arisen  since 
the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War.  Vol.  XI  contains  BIO- 
GRAPHICAL NOTICES  of  all  authors  quoted,  selections 
from  recent  literary  productions,  and  an  exhaustive 
topical  index  of  the  entire  work. 


FromjrOffA'  GREENLEAF  WHITTIEK:    The  plan  and  execution  are  deserving  of  unqualified  praise. 

NORTH  AMERICAN  REVIEW:    A  mental  feast  unparalleled  in  completeness  and  excellence. 

DR.  W.  T.  HARRIS,  V.  S.  Commissioner  of  Education  :  I  do  not  see  how  any  school  in  America 
can  spare  this  work. 

THE  CRITIC :  Earnest  gratitude  is  due  to  the  editors  whose  combined  study  has  produced  so  valuable 
a  work. 

WILLIAM  DEAN  HOWELLS  :  A  prospect  of  American  Literature  that  could  hardly  have  been  more 
complete.  

YOU  SHOULD  DISCRIMINATE  AS  TO  THE  BOOKS  YOU  READ. 
YOU  CANNOT  READ  ALL  THAT  ARE  PRINTED. 

YOU   HAVE  NOT  THE  TIME.     MANY  OF  THEM   ARE   NOT   WORTH   READING. 
LARGE  PARTS  OF  OTHERS  ARE  OF  QUESTIONABLE  WORTH. 
WHY  NOT  CHOOSE  THE  VERY  BEST? 
WHY  NOT  BUY  AND  READ  THIS  "THE  LIBRARY  OF  AMERICAN  LITERATURE?" 

The  cream  of  500,000  works  copyrighted  by  American  writers.  1,207  authors  quoted.  Over 
2,671  selections,  covering  every  branch  of  literature  from  1607  to  1890,  chronologically  arranged. 
Biographical  notice  of  each  author.  Exhaustive  topical  index. 


From  MARK  TWAIN. 

If  one  would  think,  or  laugh  or  cry,  or  feed  his  pity  or  love  or  charity,  or  lash  himself  into  a  fury,  he  may  choose 
his  emotion  and  turn  to  the  things  that  will  lift  it  to  an  ecstasy  every  time. 

With  it  on  the  shelf,  one  may  sav  to  anybody — Name  vour  mood,  and  I  will  satisfy  its  appetite  for  you. 

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THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


Book-making  is  the  best  conceivable  means  of  recording,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  present  and  all  future  generations,  that  which  is  best 
worth  knowing  of  the  past.  Books,  however,  have  become  so  numerous 
that  it  requires  great  care  in  selecting  from  the  millions  now  in  exist- 
ence those  that  contain  that  which  is  worthiest  and  most  satisfactory. 
This  fact  becomes  more  firmly  impressed  upon  the  mind  as  one  attempts 
with  a  limited  amount  of  means  to  select  books  for  the  home  library. 

The  ordinary  knowledge-seeker,  on  entering  a  great  retail  book- 
store, is  utterly  at  a  loss,  bewildered  by  the  magnitude  and  variety  of 
the  treasures  set  before  him.  This  fact  is  the  perfect  excuse  for  the 
existence  of  that  much  abused  yet  useful  and  indispensable  agent  of 
intellectual  progress,  the  canvasser,  or  book-agent. 

Many  years  ago,  while  soliciting  for  works  of  art,  science,  history 
and  literature,  through  the  many  inquiries  made  for  a  work  that  should 
contain  the  best  poems  that  could  be  selected  from  all  that  had  been 
written  by  American  poets,  we  determined  to  publish  a  work  entitled 
"  American  Poetry  and  Art."  Having  some  acquaintance  with  John 
James  Piatt,  the  poet  (his  wife  and  daughter  also  poets),  we  arranged 
with  him  to  edit  the  work  which  we  published  in  1880,  and  which 
proved  a  great  success,  meeting  with  with  the  approval  of  Henry 
Wadsworth  Longfellow  in  the  following  words  : 

"  American  Poetry  and  Art  "  is  an  elegant  work,  and  the  editor,  Mr.  Piatt,  has  shown  great 
taste  and  judgment  in  his  selections.  I  hope  this  publication  will  meet  from  the  public  the  recog- 
nition it  so  well  deserves. 

Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  in  his  letter  says : 

Dear  Sirs: — I  have  had  great  pleasure  in  looking  over  the  work  edited  by  Mr  Piatt,  and 
published  by  yourselves,  "American  Poetry  and  Art."  It  is  a  noble  and  stately  volume,  com- 
mended to  the  reader  by  great  beauty  of  type  and  admirably  executed  illustrations.  What  has 
most  struck  me  is  the  number  of  pleasing,  and  often  striking,  poems  by  authors  with  whose  names 
I  was  not  familiar.  The  volume  bears  ample  testimony  to  the  westward  movement  of  that  higher 
cultivation  to  which  Poetry,  deserving  the  name,  and  Art,  worthy  of  its  companionship,  are  con- 
spicuous landmarks.  OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. 

John  Greeleaf  Whittier,  in  acknowledging  receipt  of  a  copy  of  the 
work,  speaks  of  it  in  the  following  graphic  manner : 

W.  E.  DIBBLE:  Dear  Sir: — I  congratulate  thee  on  the  complete  success  of  thy  beautiful 
publication,  "American  Poetry  and  Art."  It  is  every  way  creditable  to  the  Queen  City  of  the 
West,  its  publisher  and  editor.  I  am  glad  to  find  in  it  such  ample  selections  from  the  authors  of 
the  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  especially  from  the  South  and  West.  It  will  have  a  ten- 
dency to  promote  a  kindly  feeling  and  a  national  pride  in  sections  so  recently  in  open  hostility. 
If  the  literature  of  the  country  is  united,  politicans  can  not  divide  us.  As  in  the  lay  of  Ossiau, 
"the  battle  shall  cease  along  the  plain,  for  the  bards  have  sung  a  song  of  peace." 

I  am  truly  thy  friend,  JOHN  G.  WHITTIER. 


AMERICAN  POETRY  AND  ART. 


•f79 


Edmund  Clarence  Stedmau,  says  : 


I  now  have  the     American  Poetry  and  Art  "  in  its  complete  form,  and  am  pleased  with  the 
great  beauty  and  copiousness  of  the  volume.     No  other  collection  of  purely  American  verse  is  , 
once  so  varied  and  so  complete.     The  illustrations  are  very  attractive  and  on  a  liberal  scale.' 

And  the  following  letter  from  A.  R.  Spofford,  Librarian  of  Con- 
gress, shows  his  appreciation  of  the  work  : 

Messrs.  W.  E.  DIBBLE  &  Co.,  Gentlemen. --1  have  had  the  oleasure  to  receive  a  copy  of 
your  truly  sumptuous  publication  entitled,  "  American  Poetry  and  Art,'"  anil  a  careful  examination 
with  some  familiarity  with  previous  collections  of  poetry,  enables  me  to  say  that  this  volume  is 
the  most  elegant  one  of  the  kind  which  has  been  produced.  The  paper,  type,  and  illustrations 
furnish  a  fit  setting  for  the  multitude  of  gems  of  American  poetry  which  the'collection  embraces' 
Ihe  work  of  the  editor,  Mr.  John  J.  Piatt,  has  been  admirably  performed. 

Very  respectfully,  A.  R.  SPOKFOKD, 

Librarian  of  Congress. 


The  work  contains  over  300  illustrations.  There  are  640  large 
imperial  quarto  pages,  artistically  printed  on  heavy  cream-tinted  paper 
made  expressly  for  this  work.  It  contains  the  best  poems  written  by 
Bryant,  Longfellow,  Whittier,  Holmes,  Emerson,  Poe,  Lowell,  Stedman, 
Taylor,  and  270  other  American  poets.  These  poems,  over  600  in 
number,  are  copiously  illustrated  with  numerous  engravings,  true  to 
nature,  life  and  character,  of  mountains,  rivers,  lakes,  forests,  water- 
falls, historical  buildings,  and  other  picturesque  features  of  our  country; 
also  including  full-page  portraits  of  leading  poets,  etc.,  etc.,  drawn  by 
the  best  artists,  skilled  in  their  particular  specialities,  and  engraved  by 
the  most  skillful  engravers  of  the  land.  Each  geographical  portion  of 
our  Union  is  represented  by  its  Poets,  Artists,  Engravers,  and  char- 
acteristic scenery. 

Popular  edition,  full  morocco,  antique,  gilt,  price,  $7.00. 

"  American  Poetry  and  Art "  proved  in  every  way  satisfactory,  it 
having  been  subscribed  for  by  five  presidents  of  the  United  States,  U. 
S.  Grant,  R.  B.  Hayes,  James  A.  Garfield,  Chester  A.  Arthur,  Benjamin 
Harrison,  also  many  of  the  leading  publishers  and  literary  people  of 
America.  In  view  of  this  it  was  determined  further  to  meet  the  wants 
of  many  people  by  publishing  a  series  of  volumes  of  American  thought 
to  be  entitled  "  A  Library  of  American  Literature." 


480 


THE   STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


A    Library  of  American  Literature. 

The  plan  of  the  work  was  to  begin  with  the  earliest  A.merican 
writers,  taking  up  those  who  had  written  that  which  would  interest  the 
greatest  number  of  persons  in  early  Colonial  times,  and  following  the 
writers  up  in  chronological  order,  so  as  to  give  to  the  reader  a  complete 
literary  history  of  America  by  the  best  known  authors,  who  had  written 
on  the  most  important  topics  which  had  arisen  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  from  the  discovery  of  America  to  the  present.  But  whom  could 
we  get  to  undertake  the  gleaning  of  the  richest  and  rarest  gems  from 
over  500,000  volumes  already  published  ?  Henry  Wadsworth  Long- 
fellow, on  being  ap- 
proached in  regard  to  it, 
said,  "  No,  you  must  get 
a  younger  man.  My 
time  here  is  too  short.  I 
would  suggest  Edmund 
Clarence  Stedman.  He 
is  the  best  man  living  to 
undertake  a  work  of 
such  great  magnitude." 
Dr.  Holmes  could  not 
do  it  for  the  reason  that 
his  time  was  all  taken  up. 
Whittier,  Lowell,  Emer- 
son and  Piatt  all  agreed 
with  Longfellow  that 
Mr  Stedman  was  just 
the  man  to  do  the  work 
if  he  could  be  induced 
to  undertake  it. 

After  carefully  stating 
the  case  to  Mr.  Stedman, 
also  the  unamimous 
judgment  of  the  great 
authorities  already  con- 
sulted, he  agreed  to  do 
the  work  with  Ellen  Mc- 
Kay Hutchinsou  as  co- 
editor.  The  contract  be- 
ing drawn  up  and  signed, 
work  began.  Buying,  borrowing  and  in  whatever  way  we  could  secur- 
ing books  on  early  colonial  literature,  beginning  with  Capt.  John  Smith, 
in  1607,  and  going  forward  from  this  point,  the  undertaking  seemed  to 
grow  and  increase  in  interest,  magnitude  and  multiplicity  of  difficulties. 
First  it  was  to  be  determined  what  authors  should  be  quoted,  what 
books  were  wanted  and  how  they  should  be  obtained.  We  must  have 
catalogues  of  all  the  leading  libraries  of  the  whole  country.  We  must 
hunt  up  all  the  collectors  of  rare  books  in  order  to  secure  such  books 
as  we  had  to  have  for  copy,  oftentimes  being  almost  completely  at  a 


EDMUND  CLARENCE  STEDMAN. 


A  LIBRARY  Of-  AMERICAN  LITERATURE.  481 

standstill  for  want  of  some  old  book  out  of  print,  often  finding  that  the 
book  we  wanted  we  could  not  buy  at  any  price  but  were  compelled  to 
send  a  copyist  to  transcribe  the  desired  matter  with  the  book  in  the 
possession  of  its  owner.  In  this  manner,  we  finally  succeeded  in 
crossing  ever}'  bridge  as  we  came  to  it. 

Coming  down  to  the  writers  whose  works  are  covered  by  the  copy- 
right laws,  we  had  much  less  trouble  in  finding  the  books  wanted,  as 
copies  of  them  are  to  be  found  in  the  Congressional  Library.  But  we 
must  now  have  the  consent  of  authors  and  publishers  for  the  right  to  re- 
publish  the  very  cream  of  their  best  thoughts  and  publications,  a  con- 
tract having  to  be  made  and  signed  with  each  author  and  publisher 
setting  forth  the  conditions  under  which  the  right  to  publish  the  articles 
desired  was  granted;  all  of  which  consumed  many  years  of  tedious 
labor  and  large  sums  of  money.  This  makes  it  all  the  more  gratifying 
to  know  the  people  are  pleased  with  the  work,  and  speak  in  the  very 
highest  terms  of  the  merits  "A  Library  of  American  Literature." 

The  remarkable  growth  of  the  plan  during  its  progress  carried  it 
beyond  the  means  of  Mr.  William  E.  Dibble,  its  originator  and  first 
promoter;  but  it  fortunately  came  into  the  strong  and  liberal  hands  of 
Messrs.  Charles  L.  Webster  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  for  whom  Mr.  Dibble 
(now  the  Dibble  Publishing  Co.)  act's  as  exclusive  agent  within  his  own 
territory;  glad  enough  to  be  even  second  in  the  splendid  enterprise 
where  in  lie  once  fondly  hoped  to  be  first. 

We  will  send  on  application  to  parties  residing  in  the  States  of 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Southern  Wisconsin,  specimen  pages,  sam- 
ples of  the  portraits  and  general  synopsis  of  the  Library  of  American 
Literature,  furnishing  any  information  desired  in  relation  to  subscrib- 
ing or  soliciting  subscriptions  for  the  work. 

DIBBLE  PUBLISHING  CO.,  260  SOUTH  CLARK  STREET,  CHICAGO. 


[Copy  of  letter  from  Wm    f  Harris,  U.  S.  Commissioner  of  Education,  Washington,  D.  C] 

I  have  received  n  volumes  of  "The  Library  of  American  Literature,"  having  become  a  sub- 
scriber while  in  Massachusetts.  I  think  it  is  my  duty  to  write  you  a  word,  expressive  of  my  appre- 
ciation of  the  great  value  of  the  work  as  a  means  of  national  education. 

Mr.  Stedrnan  and  Miss  Hutchiusou  have  made  their  selections  include  productions  from  so 
wide  a  list  of  authors  that  this  fact  alone  makes  their  "Library"  indispensable  to  all  who  set  out  to 
study  our  national.literature  in  its  scope  and  bearing.  Their  selections  are  in  such  admirable  taste, 
and  at  the  same  time  so  characteristic  of  the  style  and  thought  of  the  several  authors,  that  the  work 
reveals  our  national  character  and  aspirations  almost  in  their  entire  scope.  For  a  nation's  liter- 
ature is  the  expression  of  just  these  things. 

I  do  not  see  how  any  school  in  America  can  spare  this  work  from  its  reference  library  for 
teachers  and  pupils,  and  I  am  sure  that  every  private  individual  will  purchase  it  for  his  own 
library,  if  he  has  to  cut  off  for  a  time  the  purchase  of  other  literature 

WM.  T.  HARRIS,  Commissioner. 

NOTRE  DAME,  IND.,  February  8,  1891 

DEAR  SIRS. — In  reply  to  your  note,  I  am  glad  to  «ay  that  I  consider  Mr  Edmund  Clarence 
Stedman's  "  Library  of  American  Literature  "  the  most  valuable  work  of  the  kind  printed  in  the 
English  language.  "  No  library  should  be  without  it.  I  find  it  invaluable  as  a  reference  book.  It 
is  in  almost  daily  use  at  the  University  and  St.  Mary's  It  is  unique,  thorough,  and  the  work  of 
our  first  American  Critic,  and  the  greatest,  after  Whittier,  of  our  poets,  assisted  by  the  foremost 
literary  woman  of  our  country  Sincerely  yours, 

MALTRICK  FRANCIS  EC.AN. 

OAK  KNOU.,  DANVERS,  MASS.,  9  Mo.,  14,  iSSS. 

I  have  been  looking  over  the  noble  volumes  with  hearty  satisfection.  The  great  work  is 
admirably  done.  The  plan  and  execution  seem  to  me  deserving  of  unqualified  praise.  A  breath 
of  the  New  World  blows  through  it.  JOHN  G.  WHITTIER. 


4.82 


THE   STORY   OF   CHICAGO. 


THE  BACKWOODSMAN  ,  OR  TALES  OF  THE  BORDER,  BY  WALTER 
W.  SPOONER,  is  a  very  attractive  illustrated  volume  of  608  pages  of  thrilling 
narrative,  having  the  double  merit  of  historical  accuracy  and  romantic  merit. 


Among  the  celebrated  pioneers  whose  wonderful  adventures  are  related  in  this 
book,  are  Robert  McClellan,  Captain  Samuel  Brady,  Lewis  Weitzel,  Daniel  Boone, 
Simon  Kenton,  John  Slover,  William  Kennan,  and  Samuel  Davis.  The  stories  are 
of  the  most  varied  character,  relating  hair-breadth  escapes  from  torture,  captivity, 
and  imminent  death,  remarkable  instances  of  courage  and  resolution,  and  prodigies 
of  valor,  strength  and  skill.  The  authenticity  of  the  narratives  commends  the  work 
to  all  who  are  interested  in  the  early  history  of  the  West. 

Price  delivered,  Cloth  with  Ink  and  Gold  Back  and  Side  Stamp,  $2.00. 


"UNCLE  DICK  WOOTTON  ";  BY  HOWARD  Louis  CONARD.  With  an  in- 
troduction by  Maj.  Joseph  Kirkland.  Illustrated  by  Louis  Braunhold,  W.  A. 
McCullough  and  other  famous  artists.  Fifty-three  years  a  hunter,  trapper,  trader, 
Indian  fighter  and  government  scout. 

"UNCLE  DICK'S  "  TRUE  STORY  of  Pioneer  days  and  Border  life  graphically  told 
by  a  living  eye  witness  is  surely  stranger  than  fiction,  and  a  thousand  times  more 
fascinating.  We  are  morally  sure  no  one  seeing  the  work-and  examining  its  pages, 
portraits  and  pictures,  who  is  at  all  interested  in  the  earl}'  history  of  our  frontier 
settlements,  and  those  who  cleared  the  land,  broke  the  prairies,  fought  the  Indians, 
killed  the  deer,  bear,  buffalo  and  other  wild  animals  that  roamed  over  the  prairies, 
through  the  dense  forests,  or  along  the  mountain  sides,  opened  up  navigation,  built 
our  trans-continental  railways,  and  made  it  possible  to  build  our  great  commercial 
cities,  and  myriads  of  now  happy  homes  on  what  was,  fifty  years  ago,  naught  but 
wilderness,  can  posssibly  resist  the  temptation  to  subscribe  for  a  copy,  and  thereby 
contribute  something  toward  the  support  of  "Uncle  Dick  "  in  his  old  days.  To  him 
the  people  of  this  country  are  largely  indebted  for  aiding  in  the  settlement  of  the 
far  west  now  so  rapidly  growing  into  an  immensely  wealthy  portion  of  our  vast 
country,  and  for  his  kindness  to  those  whom  he  so  often  befriended  in  time  of  need. 

The  thirty-two  full-page  cuts  are  printed  on  fine,  heavy  plate  paper. 

The  letter-press  is  printed  from  new,  clear  type,  with  the  best  ink,  and  on  good 
paper,  all  of  which  is  made  expressly  for  this  work.  It  is  handsomely  and  sub- 
stantially bound,  with  new  and  unique  designs,  and  will  be  sold  and  delivered  to 
subscribers  at  the  following  extremely  low  prices : 

Extra  fine  Cloth,  ink  and  gold  back  and  side  stamp,  $3>oo 

Half  Morocco,  marbled  edges,  -  4-5Q 

Full  Morocco,  antique  gilt  edges,  6.00 

Agents  wanted.     Please  apply  immediately  for  choice  01  territory. 

DIBBLE  PUBLISHING   CO.,  260  South  Clark  Street,  CHICAGO. 


4*3 

Round  the 


A    RACE   WITH   THE  SUN. 

A  RACE  WITH  THE  SUN  ;  BY  HON.  CARTER  H.  HARRISON 
world  in  sixteen  months.      Thirty-two  full-page  half-tone  illustrations 

This  bewitchingly  charming  story  told  in  the  simplest  and  most  vivid  descrip- 
tive manner,  is  intensely  interesting  and  wonderfully  instructive.  It  is  difficult  to 
conceive  of  a  more  delightful  volume. 

The  pen  pictures  of 
mountains,  lakes,  rivers, 
waterfalls,  forests,  foun- 
tains, flowers,  monu- 
ments, cities,  inhabi- 
tants, in  fact  every  con- 
ceivable thing  that  goes 
to  make  up  the  countries 
visited,  are  so  beautifully 
portrayed  by  the  pen  of 
the  author,  that  we  had 
almost  forgotten  to  men- 
tion the  thirty-one  ele- 
gantly superb  full-page 
Photogravure  pictures, 
which  of  themselves 
form  an  art  collection 
worth  far  more  than  the 
price  of  the  work,  and 
all  bound  in  the  most 
elegant  and  substantial 
manner  known  to  the 
art  of  book  making. 
There  is  574  pages. 

The  author  has  care- 
fully photographed 
everything  from  the 
smallest  object  of  inter- 
est to  the  loftiest  peaks 
and  grandest  mountain 
ranges.  In  fact,  he  has 
given  a  perfect  inven- 
tory of  a  wide  belt  of  the 
globe,  beginning  at  Chi- 
cago, and  running  west 
around  the  world,  until 
Chicago,  the  great  mar- 
vel of  the  igth  Century, 
looms  up  again.  The 
whole  is  portrayed  in  such  a  flowing  and  inviting  manner  that  you  really  feel  you 
are  journeying  with  the  author,  as  he  describes  the  objects  of  interest  along  the  way. 
The  text,  illustrations,  paper,  printing  and  binding  are  in  excellent  taste  and 
the  material  of  the  very  best.  Sent  by  mail  prepaid,  on  receipt  of  price. 

Popular  Edition,  Plain  Cloth,  with  plain  cut  edges,  $2.00 

Fine  Ed'n,  Fine  Cl. ,  extra  wide  margins,  gilt  top  and  uncut  edges,     4.00 
The  same,  Fine  Half  Morocco,  marble  edges,  5.00 

A  SUMMER'S  OUTING  AND  THE  OLD  MAN'S  STORY:  BY  HON. 
CARTER  H.  HARRISON.  Is  an  intensely  interesting  book  of  304  pages,  beautifully 
written  in  a  pleasant  and  readable  style,  carrying  the  reader  with  the  writer  from 
Chicago  to  Alaska  and  return,  taking  careful  note  of  the  lovely  scenes  Nature,  in 
her  most  wonderful  and  marvelous  ways,  has  ever  produced.  The  writer  has  so 
accurately  described  what  he  saw  that  it  seems  a  waste  of  space  to  put  in  the  beauti- 
ful photogravure  pictures  with  which  the  book  is  elegantly  illustrated.  The  book 
concludes  with  a  thrilling  and  tragic  story  founded  on  facts. 

Handsomely  bound  in  cloth.     By  mail  prepaid,  on  receipt  of  price,  $1.00. 


HON.    CARTER   H.    HARRISON. 


484. 


THE    STORY    OF    CHICAGO. 


AGENTS 


WANTED. 


HELEN  ;  A  POETICAL  ROMANCE,  BY  CAMPBELL  WALDO  WAITE,  relates  the 
experience,  of  a  young  artist  who,  threatened  with  death  from  consumption, 
leaves  his  home  in  the  East  and  lays  aside  his  palette  and  easel,  and,  by  the 
advice  of  his  old  and  trusted  family  physician,  "  roughs  it  "  upon  the  prairies 
of  the  far  West.  But  into  his  new  life  he  throws  the  refinement  inherent  in  his 
nature,  and  carves  out  for  himself  a  career  that  is  really  as  elevating  as  would  have 
been  his  career  as  an  artist. 


ADDRESS : 


DIBBLE 


PUBLISHING 


CO.. 


260 


CLARK 


STREET, 


CHICAGO. 


The  heroine,  however,  is  the  most  engaging  character  in  the  book.  Sue 
illustrates,  throughout  a  series  of  struggles  and  heart-trials  such  as  rarefy  fall  to 
the  lot  of  women,  the  noblest  qualities  of  wifehood,  motherhood,  and  the  truest  and 
highest  womanhood. 

There  is  a  masculine  strength  in  the  character  of  the  hero  of  the  work,  which 
has  the  freshness  of  the  prairie  breeze.  The  author  has  made  an  especial  point  of 
his  treatment  of  his  dumb  domestic  companions,  especially  his  horses  and  cattle, 
which  constitute  a  new  feature  in  romance-writing. 

The  work  is  profusely  and  richly  illustrated  with  original  drawings  by  Mr. 
Louis  Braunhold,  the  leading  young  designer  of  the  West;  many  of  them  being 
engraved  on  wood  by  Mr.  William  Mollier,  and  all  executed  with  especial  elegance 
and  effect. 

The  paper  is  exceptionally  fine,  the  printing  and  binding  is  executed  in  the 
most  artistic  and  skillful  manner,  thus  making  a  very  attractive  work. 

Price,  in  fine  Silk  finish  Cloth,  with  Ink  and  Gold  Back  and 

Side  Stamp,  Plain  Edges,  $  2  oo 

Price,  in  fine  Half  Morocco,  Cloth  Sides  and  Gilt  Edges,  3  50 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  May  24th,  1890. 

I  think  "Helen"  a  well  written  poem,  closely  modeled  after  Lord  Lyttons' 
"Lucille."  The  characters  are  excellent,  the  sentiment  chaste  and  full  of  beauty: 
the  entire  story  is  well  conceived,  very  attractive  and  admirably  carried  out;  the 
morality  is  unexceptional;  many  of  the  situations  are  quite  dramatic,  while  the 
entire  flow  of  the  poem  is  gentle  and  sweet  as  the  course  of  a  beautiful  stream;  the 
paper,  type,  printing,  illustrations  and  binding  are  very  neat  and  artistically  done: 
on  the  whole  I  think  "Helen"  should  meet  with  a  large  sale. 

MRS.  MARV  E.  XEALY. 


AGENTS  WANTED. 

IONA  ;  A  LAY  OF  ANCIENT  GREECE,  BY  PAYNE  ERSKINE.  By  universal 
assent,  this  poem,  in  richness  of  thought,  variety  of  metaphor  and  vast  survey  of  a 
most  engaging  field,  is  taking  rank  among  the  finest  productions  of  American 
literature.  'The  aim  of  this  book,"  as  the  author  states,  "is  to  show  the  desire 
that  exists  in  every  human  being, — unaided  by  the  teachings  of  Christianity, — to 
live  on  after  this  life  is  over ;  the  natural  out-reaching  of  every  human  spirit  toward 
the  divine,  calling  for  eternal  life.  The  still,  small  voice  floats  upward,  piercing 
the  density  of  human  wisdom,  and  is  heard  through  all,  and  above  all." 

There  is  no  indication  of  borrowing  from  Lord  Macauley's  "  Lays  of  Ancient 
Rome,"  yet  many  critical  scholars  have  placed  this  volume  alongside  the  immortal 
work  of  the  great  Englishman  in  that  both  have  successfully  awakened  and  devel- 
oped the  supreme  faculty  of  intuition  and,  at  the  same  time,  given  pleasure  through 
the  exercise  of  the  imagination. 

The  illustrations,  paper,  printing  and  binding  are  in  excellent  taste  and  will  be 
delivered  carriage-paid  to  any  address  on  receipt  of  $1.25. 

Chicago  Inter  Ocean  say  of  lona:  The  poem-story  is  beautiful  in  conception 
and  in  literary  execution.  "  Its  scenes  and  events  are  placed  before  the  Christian 
era,  in  order  to  leave  the  thought  unbiased  by  Christian  teaching,  admitting  only 
the  philosophy  that  may  be  gained  from  the  teachings  of  Socrates  and  Plato,  or  by 
the  true  love  of  and  communion  with  nature. ' ' 

The  plot  is  new,  the  classic  spirit  and  feeling  are  well  sustained,  and  the  cadence 
of  the  singing  stream  which  tells  this  story  "of  long  ago,  ere  time  was  old,"  is  so 
exquisitely  sweet  and  varied  to  suit  the  different  characters  and  scenes,  that  the 
reader  finds  an  irresistible  charm  which  holds  him  not  only  to  the  end  but  until  he 
has  "  passed  along  "  to  some  friend  either  the  book  or  some  strong  words  of  praise 
for  it. 

The  book  is  neatly  bound  in  blue  and  white  and  has  several  finely  drawn 
illustrations.  Altogether,  the  book  must  win  many  admirers  and  prove  of  literary 
and  ethical  service  to  its  readers. 


To  THE  READER  : — We  shall  be  pleased  to  quote  you  prices  and 
terms  for  supplying  any  books  or  sets  of  books  published,  either  for  cash 
or  on  easy  monthly  payments.  We  do  not  claim  to  be  able  to  supply 
all  the  books  published,  we  can,  however,  give  you  information  that  will 
enable  you  to  secure  those  we  cannot  supply  and  will  gladly  do  so,  and 
we  must  respectfully  solicit  the  privilege  of  furnishing  any  information 
we  are  able  to  impart  to  those  making  inquiry.  In  many  cases,  the  agent 
taking  your  order  can  do  the  same. 

To  AGENTS  soliciting  for  the  Story  of  Chicago  we  will  be  pleased  to 
give  all  the  information  desired  in  relation  to  securing  subscriptions, 
or  an  agency  for  any  of  the  books  mentioned  in  this  volume,  or  if  you 
prefer  to  do  so  please  write  direct  to  the  publishers  of  the  book  or  books 
you  wish  to  know  about. 

To  SUBSCRIBERS  and  readers  of  the  Story  of  Chicago  we  shall 
esteem  it  a  special  favor  to  have  you  write  us  for  any  information 
desired  in  relation  to  this  book  or  any  book  or  other  article  mentioned 
in  this  volume.  Parties  desiring  to  publish  new  books  or  anything  in 
the  line  of  book-making  will  find  it  to  their  interest  to  communicate 
with 

DIBBLE  PUBLISHING  CO.,  260  S.  Clark  Street,  CHICAGO. 


4S6 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO 


Autobiographical  publications  have  nearly  aiways  met  with  a  large 
sale  from  the  fact  that  the  lives  of  others  are  so  closely  connected  with 
our  own  that  we  are  anxious  to  know  what  they  have  done  and  how  the}' 
did  it,  especially  if  the  author  has  written  a  correct  account  of  himself 
and  his  life  has  been  an  eventful  one  full  of  successes. 

The  history  and  personal 
reminiscences  of  Major-Gen- 
eral Benjamin  F.  Butler,  as 
set  forth  by  himself  in  the 
volume  entitled 

"BUTLER'S  BOOK," 
is  certainly  a  full  and  com- 
plete history  of  the  most 
eventful  career  of  any  man 
now  living.  Starting  in 
youth  with  few  advan- 
tages except  those  supplied 
by  nature,  he  has  fought 
his  way  manfully  from  pov- 
erty and  obscurity  through 
riots,  wars,  litigations,  and 
a  multiplicity  of  difficulties, 
to  high  positions,  honor  and 
wealth.  A  good  fighter, 
good  soldier,  governor,  sen- 
ator, la\vyer,  a  noble  and 
generous  citizen,  and  now 
a  biographer  and  historian, 
handing  down  to  future 
generations  the  true  history 
of  all  his  important  acts  as 
a  citizen,  lawmaker,  lawyer, 
soldier  and  governor;  his 
sharp,  shrewd,  all-searching 
scrutiny  has  enabled  him  to  give  to  the  public  the  facts  concerning 
thousands  of  important  points  in  the  history  of  the  last  half  century. 

In  a  masterly  hand,  and  in  the  most  comprehensive  manner,  he 
proceeds  to  unravel  and  reveal  the  secret  history  of  our  country  from  a 
political,  military,  legislative,  administrative,  social  and  religious  stand- 
point, both  at  home  and  abroad.  Parties  and  their  leaders  are  handled 
without  fear  or  favor,  and  those  who  as  he  thinks  deserve  exposure 
are  showed  up  through  a  connecting  chain  of  original  documents,  much 
to  the  credit  of  many  who  have  stood  calumny  rather  than  rush  into 
print  and  to  the  injury  of  some  who  have,  so  far,  escaped  the  righteous 
judgment  that  should  have  been  dealt  out  to  them  long  ago. 

Men  both  North  and  South  have  called  Butler  very  hard  names, 
but  no  man  ever  called  him  a  coward  or  a  fool. 

An  unreconstructed  rebel,  not  very  long  ago  was  railing  at  Gen. 
Butler,  when  his  interlocutor  observed  that  at  least  he  had  cleaned  up 


A.  Af.    THAYER  &  CO.  4S7 

New  Orleans  so  that  yellow  fever  never  came  near  it.  "  Yellow  fever 
and  Ben  Butler  both  in  the  same  year  ?  No  sir !  It  could  not  be ! 
There  is  still  a  merciful  God  in  Heaven ! '' 

PRESS    COMMENTS. 

New  York  World : — Few  Americans  have  been  more  famous  and  have  exhibited  more 
versatility  in  public  affairs  during  a  long  and  crowded  career,  and  few  have  been  so  thoroughly 
abused  or  have  borne  calumny  and  invective  with  greater  equanimity  than  Benj.  F.  Butler. 

Few  writers  can  be  more  interesting  than  the  doughty  old  General.  He  is  as  terse  and 
idiomatic  as  Franklin,  and  tells  his  story  that  holds  the  attention  with  a  strong  and  natural 
interest. 

New  York  Sun  : — The  long-expected  autobiography  of  Benj.  F.  Butler  will  soon  be  in  the 
hands  of  the  American  people.  The  preface  of  the  work  itself  is  so  interesting  that  it  is  worth  a 
complete  reproduction.  It  is  a  characteristic  of  this  work,  and,  unlike  most  prefaces,  it  will 
receive  as  much  attention  from  the  reader  as  any  other  portion  of  the  book. 

New  York  Mail  and  Express  : — Geti.  Butler  is  giving  to  the  world  in  one  huge  volume  his 
memoirs.  Butler  is  a  remarkable  man.  When  he  was  young  he  was  ambitious,  and  many  of  tin- 
great  dreams  he  dreamed  of  success  were  realized.  His  book  will  create  a  breeze. 

Harper's  Weekly : — To  labor  is  to  pray.  The  sincerity  of  prayer  against  pestilence  is  best 
shown  by  the  unsparing  and  intelligent  diligence  in  observing  the  laws  of  health  so  effectively 
done  in  1862  by  General  Butler  in  New  Orleans.  The  same  effective  precautions  which  he  took 
in  New  Orleans  he  took  two  years  later  in  Norfolk,  and  with  similar  good  results.  His  forthcoming 
book  will,  therefore,  not  only  be  political  but  we  trust  explicit  regarding  his  ideas  of  sanitation. 
Probably  our  modern  physicians  will  find  some  good  points  in  it 

Philadelphia  Public  Ledger : — No  figure  in  American  history  is  grander  or  more  picturesque 
than  that  of  General  Butler.  In  the  light  of  time  historians  will  do  this  greatest  of  soldiers  and 
statesmen  justice.  He  has  been  misunderstood,  misjudged,  and  reviled,  and  has  borne  injustice 
with  a  silence  and  patience  as  pathetic  as  noble  ;  but  in  his  autobiography,  which  he  is  now  soon  to 
give  to  the  world,  he  will  speak  and  tell  truly  what  has  been  so  often  misrepresented. 

Boston  Journal : — The  book  will  be  an  epitome  of  the  history  of  the  United  States  from  the 
time  General  Butler  first  entered  upon  the  scene  of  action  down  to  to-day. 

Chicago  Herald : — The  style  is  peculiarly  Butlerian,— curt,  original,  breezy,  and  indepen- 
dent. Old  age  ne'er  cools  the  Butler  blood  ;  he  is  just  as  free  and  vigorous  in  his  printed  utter- 
ances as  he  ever  was  on  the  political  platform  or  before  a  jury. 

The  Herald,  Cleveland,  O.  : — General  Butler's  forthcoming  autobiography  contains  much 
history  and  personal  matter  never  before  published.  The  contents — well,  they  must  be  read  to  be 
appreciated.  Everything  is  being  done  by  his  publishers.  A.  M.  Thayer  &.  Co.,  of  Boston,  on  an 
elaborate  scale  to  make  the  book  one  of  the  most  attractive  of  the  century.  In  point  of  typo- 
graphical beauty  and  mechanical  and  literary  executions  it  will  be  a  gem. 

Rocky  Mountain  News,  Denver,  Col.  : — No  little  interest  is  being  attached  to  the  review 
copies  sent  out  by  A.  M.  Thayer  &  Co.,  the  wide-awake  publishers  of  Boston,  on  the  forthcoming 
autobiography  and  personal  reminiscences  of  General  Butler.  It  is  a  book  for  the  millions  and  we 
hope  it  will  be  bought  by  the  millions. 

Evening  Tribune,  Des  Moines,  la. : — Butler's  Book  will  be  a  most  valuable  addition  to  the 
literature  of  our  day,  and  an  invaluable  contribution  to  the  literature  of  the  historic  period  in 
which  he  has  figured  and  played  so  conspicuous  a  part. 

BUTLER'S  BOOK  is  sold  only  to  subscribe!  s  by  our  agents  and 
cannot  be  had  at  the  book  stores. 

Should  our  agents  fail  to  call  on  you  with  a  copy  of  the  Butler 
Book,  we  will  esteem  it  a  favor  if  you  will  call  our  attention  to 
the  oversight. 

To  Agents:  We  will  be  pleased  to  have  you  apply  for  circulars, 
terms,  territory,  etc.  We  will  assign  you  exclusive  territory  on  liberal 
terms  and  special  inducements,  with  full  instructions  insuring  success. 
We  have,  in  addition  to  the  Butler  Book,  several  first-class  standard 
subscription  books,  and  solicit  correspondence  from  all  agents  wishing 
to  better  their  condition. 

A.  M.  THAYER  &  CO.,  6  Mount  Vernon  St.,  BOSTON,  MASS. 


4$8 


THE  STORY  OF  CHICAGO. 


./to 


THE  OONOHUE  8<  HENINEBERRY  BUILDING, 


THIS  HOUSE,  among  the  oldest,  most  extensive,  and  most  successful  of  its  kind 
in  the  West,  has  long  been  closely  identified  with  the  history  and  marvelous  growth  of 

fflarjufaeturipg  ir? 

having  always  been  foremost  in  the  effort  to  secure  for  this  City  a  recognized  standing  as  a 
publishing  center. 

Traveling  men,  and  others  well  informed,  state  that  it  is  the 

LARGEST  AND    MOST  THOROUGHLY    EQUIPPED 

Printing  and  Binding  Establishment  in  the  United  States  (with  a  single  exception,  the  Government 
Institution  at  Washington). 

This  business  occupies  the  structure  known  as  the  DONOHUE  &  HESNEBERRY  BUILDING,  (erected 
especially  for  its  accommodation),  with  a  frontage  of  200  feet  on  Dearborn  St..  the  same  frontage 
on  Third  Ave  ,  and  extending  through  the  block,  from  street  to  street,  eight  stories,  with  basement 
for  large  presses  and  heavy  machinery. 

The  members  of  the  firm  are  practical  men,  of  large  experience,  thoroughly  versed  in  every 
detail  of  manufacture,  who  promptly  adopt  every  improvement  of  practical  value,  in  machinery, 
material,  or  methods,  and  spare  neither  pains  nor  expense  to  produce  satisfactory  and  creditable 
work. 

These  facilities  are  at  the  service  of  publishers  throughout  the  country. 

WE  INVITE  CORRESPONDENCE  AND  INSPECTION. 

Authors  intending  publication  will  do  well  to  confer  with  us. 

Especial  attention   is  devoted  to  Illustrated  Work  of  various  kinds,  Large  Catalogues,  High 
Class  Periodicals,  Artistic  Work,  and  Large  Editions. 
Frequent  additions  are  being  made  to  our 

LARGE  LIST  OF  STANDARD  PUBLICATIONS. 

Dealers,  among  our  customers,  will  be  kept  constantly  advised  of  the  issue  of  new  and  salable 
books,  and  in  every  way  possible  the  interests  of  our  patrons  will  be  carefully  considered. 

OUR  SUPPLY  DEPARTMENT 

will  furnish,  in  addition  to  an  extensive  line  of  our  own  manufacture,  any  article  procurable  in 
Chicago  in  the  line  of  Stationery  and  General  Supplies. 

Catalogues,  Descriptive  Circulars,  and  Special  Prices  sent  on  application. 


DONOHUE  &    HENNEBERRY. 


407  to  425  Dearborn  Street,  Chicago. 


F 


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